BQok> F^3 



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I 



I 



i 



At a moment when the attention of all Europe has been 
turned towards Peru by the recent proceedings of the Spanish 
squadron in the Pacific Ocean, we flatter onrselves that the 
following Sketches of Lima, the capital of that republic, will 
be received with favour by the reading world. 

The manners and customs of that fairyland, whose very 
name has become a proverb, have been constantly misrepre- 
sented by the narratives of fantastic voyagers, who, being 
thoroughly ignorant of the country, have mistaken mere ac- 
cidental circumstances for the general characteristics of its 
inhabitants. Many of these writers, indeed, seem to belong 
to the same category as the French traveller, who, having 
happened, on arriving at Madrid one day about noon, to see 
two desperate fellows fighting Avith long knives, at once noted 
down in his pocket-book that such was the constant habit 
of Spaniards every day about that hour. Or the Englishman, 
who, on issuing one evening from a railway terminus in 
Paris, and seeing a hackney-coach knock down and run over 

ati elderly lady, instantly drew the inference that the Pa- 
ri 



risians made a practice of thus crushing all old women who 
ventured out into the streets after dusk. 

Statements as absurd as these have often been made by 
tourists who thought their remarks deserved the honour of 
publication. If men can be found to talk so idly of neigh- 
bouring nations, whose manners differ but little from their 
own, what may not be expected from persons of the same 
calibre who visit distant parts of the world where far greater 
differences exist, as in South America, for instance .^^ 

Europe in general is most imperfectly acquainted with 
the people of these remote regions, only studying them in a 
commercial point of view ; in other respects, their political 
condition, their usages, and their civilization, are judged in 
the most superficial manner, without due reflection, and in 
most cases, with unjust temerity. 

We are by no means disposed, from an excess of patrio- 
tism, to fall into the opposite absurdity, by asserting that 
the American States have attained the high level of the Old 
World. Not long since freed from the yoke of colonization, 
placed under circumstances and conditions anything but fa- 
vourable for rapidly raising them to the rank of independent 
nations, they have had, and still have^, to struggle against the 
horrors of anarchy. 

However, in the midst of continual civil wars, which force 
the husbandman and artisan from their homes to engage 
in a fratricidal combat, civilization has made incredible ad- 
vances in the short period of forty-two years. 

The rare intervals of repose which Peru has enjoyed (we 
say repose^ because the restless spirit of aspirants to power 
has never permitted the country to be really at peace) have 



sufficed to sweep away those old customs which might serve 
as a subject for the satire of our enemies aud calumniators. 

The society of Lima has no reason to envy that of the 
most civilized capitals: there are even European nations in 
which woman, the inestimable helpmate of man, the soul 
and the consolation of the domestic hearth, is far from of- 
fering all the charms of the fair T^manian. Cheerfulness, 
talent, beauty, amiability — in short, all the physical, intellec- 
tual, and moral qualities which make woman the most pre- 
cious jewel of the earth — all these gifts, we repeat, have 
been bountifully lavished, by the hand of God, on the Li- 
manian women. Has it not often been said of the ladies of 
Lima that they have the eyes and looks of the Italian, the 
perfect figure and gracefulness of the French, and the wit of 
the Andalusian ? 

There is no exaggeration in what we have here said. As to 
their personal appearance, the reader may form son\^ idea 
from the engravings accompanying these sketches, which are 
accurate copies of photographs, due to the pencils of the 
best artists of Paris. They are faithful reproductions of na- 
ture's handiworks. 

The travellers from different countries, who, of late years, 
have written about Peru, seem to have had in view what 
might have existed before the Conquest. At the present mo- 
ment, a collection of voyages is in course of publication at 
Paris. If we may judge of the accuracy of the accounts con- 
cerning other nations of the world by the articles on Peru 
contained in this work, it would seem as if the authors had 
no other object than to write a romance in which all the cha- 
racters described are of the most savage type. 



One of our most venerable priests (i), an indefatigable la- 
bourer in the work of civilizing the native tribes, was not 
indeed a model of manly beauty, but he nevertheless had a 
pleasing exterior, with an intelligent and modest air. Well ! 
in the work above-mentioned, this gentleman is represented 
with the vulgar aspect of a muleteer (2). 




In the same collection, we also find among other types, all 
of the most fanciful kind, a seminarist of Cuzco, and an 
Indian rabona (3). The former has the appearance of a bee- 
hive surmounted by a mask with a broad-brimmed hat on it; 

(1) The Reverend Father Plaza. 

(2) We give an exact copy of the engraving in question, which is stated to be a 
faithful portrait of Father Plaza. 

(3) Soldier's wife. 



— vij - 




the latter looks like a Fury, with a Medusa's head, carrying - 
not only her kitchen utensils, but also the complete appoint- 
ments of a soldier. We really cannot imagine what induces 
travellers to draw upon fancy for the materials of their 
books, instead of depicting what they must have seen. IF 
they meet with any uncouth or deformed individual, why 
should they present him or her as the type of a family, a 
race, or a corporation ? 

A veracious writer only introduces such persons, as he 
does humorous anecdotes, to enliven his narrative , but, to 
set them forth as representatives of a country, is not only of- 
fering an affront to that country, but also injurious to his 
own reputation as a traveller or historian. As for ourselves, 
in our sketches of manners and customs, we portray them as 
they have been and also as they are at present. Our object 
is to give a summary account of our political organization; 
to prove that in our establishments of public instruction and 
charity, the departments which best show the civilization 
of a country, we have made as much progress as we could ; 
that foreign trade is extending on a large scale, and finds 
abundant support in the free expenditure of the wealthy ; 
that the manners of the people are improving, in proportion 
as the practices introduced by bad taste and barbarism dis- 
appear; and, lastly, that we do not deserve to be regarded 
as savage denizens of primeval forests, half-covered with 
feathers, who shoot down foreigners with bows and arrows 
and afterwards eat them raw at a family banquet. 



Paris, 1866. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The literary and descriptive sketches are extracted from 
the Statistics of Lima and the Traveller s Guide. The latter 
has also supplied some few articles on popular customs. 
The author trusts that his readers will excuse him for thus 
borrowing from his own works. 



LIMA. 



PART I. 



FOUNDATION AND DESCRIPTION OF LIMA. 

The city -which is now the capital of Peru was founded by the 
Conqueror, Francisco Pizarro, on the 18th of January 1535 under 
the name of Ciudad de los Reyes (City of the Kings). 

The capital of the old viceroyalty was the town of Jauja, the prin- 
cipal inhabitants of which joined with the municipality and the 
justicias (judicial and administrative authorities) in representing to 
Pizarro how unsuitable that place was to remain the seat of govern- 
ment. 

Pizarro appointed commissioners to explore the valley of Pacha- 
camac in the district of the cacique Lima, and as they reported 
that the territory bathed by the Rimacwas well adapted, owing to 
its proximity to the sea and other advantages , to become the site 
of the capital , he decreed , at the date above mentioned , that the 
city should be founded there. 

Form and Extent of Lima. — The configuration of the city is 
irregular, something in the shape of a triangle, whose base, or 
longest side, rests on the river, which divides it into two parts, the 

1 



2 



LIMA. 




View from the Arrabal de San Lazaro. 



upper, and the lower; the latter was formerly called the Arrabal 
(suburb) de San Ldzaro. 




View of Lima, taken from the Arco del Puente. 



LIMA. 



3 



The whole city is two-thirds of a league in length, and its greatest 
width two-fifths of a league. 

The original extent of Lima was twenty-two cuadras (1) from 
east to west, fourteen from north to south. Its present area is 
13,343,680 square Castilian varas, of which 2,438,000 are occupied 
by gardens and midadares (rubbish -shoots) in the upper part; 
and 2,412,320 by gardens, in the lower part; 126,150 by squares; 
674,552 by churches and convents; leaving 7,692,658 for dwel- 
lings. The whole of the lower part is surrounded by strong walls 
built in 1683, during the viceroyalty of the Duke of La Palata. 

Geojrraphical and Topographical Position. — The city is situated 
in 12" 2' 34" south latitude, and in 70" 55' 20" Avest longitude from 
the meridian of Cadiz; 77" 1' 36" from Greenwich, and 79" 27' 45" 
from Paris. 

Lima is exposed to winds from the south and west, but sheltered 
by the mountains on the north and east. 

These mountains are spurs of the great chain of the Andes, which 
runs nearly north and south twenty leagues to the east of the ca- 
pital. The eastern spurs descend gradually from north to south 
forming deep valleys. Those of the north accompany from east to 
west the right bank of the Rimac, at a greater or less distance. 
Opposite the higher part of Lima, they make a sweep, touching 
the commencement of the arrabal of San Lazaro with the skirts of 
Mount San Cristobal, at the foot of which the Rimac enters the 
city. The summits of San Cristobal and of Amancaes are the highest 
of all these ridges ; the former being 470 Castilian varas , and the 
latter 960, above the level of the sea. 

Westward the city commands a view of the Pacific about two 
leagues distant; in the south-west, the island of San Lorenzo is 
visible; and in the south the Morro Solar or Morro of Chor- 
rillos. On the south rise a number of sand hills, running eastward, 

(1) The length of the cuaclra (front of a block of houses) was from 120 to 140 Spanish 
varas or yards, equal to 2 feet 9 inches English. The vara is divided into three feet, 
each of which is consequently 1 1 English inches. The square vara contains T.ofi square 
feet, or about five-sixths of the English square yard. 



4 



LIMA. 



and gradually increasing in size till they join the Cordilleras. 

Nature of the Soil. — Several strata of sand and pebbles lie 
between the surface and the solid rock, which is always found at 
a certain depth. This structure of the soil , resembling that of 
the bottom of the sea off the coast, seems to indicate that at some 
period the ocean covered two or three leagues beyond the shore it 
now bathes. The shells found, both north and south, scattered 
over the hills, Iheinselves formed of sand and marine detritus, 
as well as many other indications, justify the conclusion that, not 
many centuries back, the sea covered those enormous masses of 
granite which form the last ramifications of the Cordilleras. 

Seasons. — It may truly be stated that only two distinct seasons 
are known at Lima — winter and summer. Though neither the heat 
nor the cold is so intense as in some other countries, both have con- 
siderable power. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter respectively 
begin towards the end of September, December, March, and June^ 
The dog-days last from the 23rd of January to the 8tli of March. 

Winds. — The south wind prevails on the coast; the north 
blows at intervals, according to the hour of the day and the season 
of the year. At sunrise there is generally a light breeze from the 
west^ veering round to the south about noon. The northerly wind 
felt at Lima comes from the north-west, owing to the direction of 
the chain of mountains in the vicinity : it sets in between one and 
two in the morning and continues for about eight hours. 

The daily movement of the winds is always against the sun. 

Rain. — Lima never has any of those continous rains which are 
common in the mountainous districts farther inland and in some 
countries of Europe. Towards the end of April or the beginning of 
May, ihe, garuas (1) set in, and continue till November with more 
or less intermission. During the rest of the year, they only occur 
at the changes of the moon. 

In summer, rain often falls, but in heavy showers of very short 
duration. 

(1) Garuas, very small rain, like what is called a Scotch viist. 



LIMA. 



5 



Earthquakes. — Lima is exposed to strong shocks, which have 
more than once left it a heap of ruins. These phenomena occur 
most frequently between spring and summer, but are not altogether 
unknown in autumn. The shocks usually pass from south to north,, 
following the direction of the chain of mountains. Among the 
earthquakes which have caused the greatest ravages may be espe- 
cially mentioned those of 1630, 1687, 1746, 1806, and 1828. On 
an average there are eight in a year. 

Streets. — The thoroughfares of Lima are well laid out, and 
present a pleasing aspect to the eye; some of them, however, are 
disfigured by open sewers, by a want of uniformity in the exterior of 




View of the Calle de las Manias (now de Callao). 



the edifices, and by the system of Moorish balconies which was in- 
troduced by the Spaniards. Though most of the wooden lattices which 
used to give these balconies the appearance of bird-cages have re- 
cently been replaced by glazed windows, the unequal height of 
their heavy masses, projecting at least three feet from the wall, 
assuredly does not contribute to the beauty of the streets. 



LIMA. 



Pizarro, on planning the city, assigned lots of builfling-ground to 
the first founders, ^vho , on account of their limited number, built 
only three short streets, the first being that which runs by the side 
of the cathedral, called Calle de los JiicUos (Jew-street). 

There are now three hundred and fifty-six of these streets^ ex- 
clusive of thoroughfares which have been laid out, but as yet have 
no buildings in them. The streets do not run in the direction of 
the four cardinal points , but they are quite straight and intersect 
each other at right angles , forming square blocks of houses called 
manzanas. The length of the streets is from 120 to 140 varas, some 
varying a little both in length and width. 




View of Ihe Calle del Teatro (now Huo.ncaveliea). 

Each cuadra (front) of these blocks contains from twenty to thirty 
doorways belonging to large dwelling-houses or shops. The regula- 
rity of the streets and the great number of towers scattered about 
the capital render it a very fine sight from the neighbouring heights, 
though the shape of the roofs somewhat detracts from its beauty; 
as the very slight rainfall prevents the necessity for tiled angular 
roofs, the tops of the houses are all quite flat, 



LIMA. 7 

Some few years ago each cuadra in Lima had a distinct name of 
its own, and it is interesting to note the origin of some of them 
such as Borricos, Pericotes, Ya Pario, Patos, etc. (1) 

At the present day, though the different cuadras standing in the 
same straight hne have only name, it may fairly be said that the 
municipality has not shown much tact in approving of the designa- 
tion selected; all are names of provincial capitals or towns, and 
many of them are words of the purest Qidchua (2) , which foreigners, 
the English especially, can never pronounce. 

Houses. — The houses of Lima have a cheerful appearance sel- 
dom found in those of other countries. Internally , they are in ge- 
neral extremely convenient, and for decoration , cleanliness, ele- 




View of the Hotel del Universe. 



gance , and even sumptucusness, they are in no way inferior to 
those of the most civilized countries. The same praise cannot, 
however, be given to their fronts, which, being constructed in de- 
fiance of all the rules of architecture, unequal in height, and fan- 

(1) Borricos, donkeys; Pericotes, \mcQ ; Ya Pario, she has just been delivered; 
Patos, ducks. 

(2) Quichua, the primitive Indian language. 



8 



LIMA. 



lastically painted, are far from corresponding to the taste which cha- 
racterizes the inhabitant of Lima. 

The houses are by no means lofty. The majority have two stories, 
but a few have three; the fear of eartliquaiies has hitherto deterred 
from erecting higher buildings. However, this timidity has begun 
to disappear , since skilful architects have adopted the precaution 
of giving their structures greater stability by the judicious combi- 
nation of iron and stone. 

In the year 1793 the total number of outer doors in Lima was 
8,222, in 3,641 houses; in 1847, there were 13,093; in 1860, 
14,002; in 1864, 14,209. 

In 1860, the doors were thus divided: 164 belonged to public 
establishments, including colleges and hospitals; 3,603 to large 
mansions; 2,621 to middle-sized and small houses; 471 to callejo- 
nes de cuartos (lodgings for operatives); 5,742 to shops and ware- 
houses; 499 to coach-houses; 326 to altillos (first-floor apartments 
approached by outside stairs); 92 to stables and yards; 318 puertas 
falsas (back-doors for servants); and 166 walled-up doors; this last 
number is yearly decreasing on account of new buildings being 
erected. 

Town-g^ates. — The upper part of Lima , as already stated, is 
enclosed by walls, in which there are twelve gates : the Callao, 
San Jacinto, Martinete, Maravillas, Barbones, Cocharcas, Santa Ca- 
talina, two Guadalupes, Juan Simon, and two Monserrats. The 
lower part, completely encircled by the mountains, has two en- 
trances, Guia, andLaPiedra Liza. 

The best-built and handsomest of these gates are the Callao and 
Maravillas : the former leads from the city to a spacious public 
walk planted with trees, which, as well as the gateway itself, was 
executed under the Viceroy O'Hinggins in 1797, the necessary funds, 
amounting to 343,000 piastres, having been supplied by the Con- 
sulado (Tribunal of Commerce) of Lima. The front was very beauti- 
ful; over the middle door, which is the largest, were placed the 
royal arms with the inscription, Imperante Carolo IV; over the 
right-hand one, the arms of Lima , and over the left those of the 



LIMA. 



9 



Consulaclo. All these escutcheons, and the ornaments on which 
they rested, were removed some years since, and a plain cornice is 
now the only ornament of the gateway. 

Squares and Public Places. — Of these there are thirty-three 
in the city, all of which, with the exception of Plaza Mayor, the 
Independencia, and the Siete de Setiembre (Seventh of September), 
lie round the churches whose names they bear. 

The only one which, for its extent, deserves the name of a square, 
is the Plaza Mayor, in the centre of the city, which occupies an 
area of about a fanegada (nine English acres). The soulh-west and 
north-west sides are ornamented wdth stone columns and arcades, 
which form noble porticos. These were erected in 1693 in pur- 
suance of a decree of the Viceroy Count de Monclova. The south- 
west portico is called the Botoneros, owing to the privilege granted, 
many years ago and recently renewed, to the trimming-makers to 
establish workshops there. The other side is called the Portal de 
Escribanos (notaries), because in former times those ravens had 
established their nests on that spot. 

The shops under these arcades offer all the creations of Euro- 
pean fashion in as great abundance as the most elegant and capri- 
cious of ladies can desire. 

Opposite the Portal de Escribanos is the magnificent facade of 
the cathedral ; and facing that of the Botoneros stands the edifice 
called the Palace of the Government. 

The municipality has its offices and archives in the upper story at 
one extremity of the Portal de Escribanos. 

Rivers. — The only water-course which crosses the capital, di- 
viding it into two parts, is the Rimac, whose stream, though highest 
in summer, is nevertheless loo scanty to water the valley through 
which it flows. Its course is from north-east to south-west. 

To facilitate communications between the two parts of the city, 
a wooden bridge was built across the Rimac in 1554, which was 
replaced by the present stone bridge in 1610, during the viceroyalty 
of the Marquis of Monies Claros. It is five hundred geometrical feet 
in length, and consists of six arches having an elevation of one 



\0 



LIMA. 



hundred and ninety feet. The whole structure is of hewn stone. 
At the southern part of the bridge rises a fine arch thirty cubits 
high. Two turrets adorn its summit, one on each side, and between 
them formerly stood a statue of Philip V., which was thrown down 
by an earthquake in 1746. On the pedestal of this statue an alle- 




Yiew of Ihe Brirlge oi Lima. 



gorical figure of Time has since been erected, and in a niche, 
which, before the earthquake, was occupied by an image of the 
Virgin of Belen (Bethlehem), there is now a handsome clock with 
two transparent dials. 

The inhabitants of the lower part of the town having suffered 
greatly from inundations, the authorities determined, in 1637, to 
prevent such disasters in future by erecting large dikes of masonry, 
to which purpose fifty thousand piastres were devoted. 

Water. — The water of the river, public fountains, and private 
wells contains a great quantity of calcareous salts especially sul- 
phate of lime, but, on the whole, is pure and wholesome. 

Fountains, — Before a company was established in Lima to 
supply houses with water conveyed through iron pipes, there were 



Fountain of tlie Plaza Mayor of Lima 



4 



LIMA. 



61 fountains in the city: 27 public ones, large and small; 19 in 
convents and monasteries ; 6 in hospitals and charitable esta- 
blishments; 19 in colleges and other public institutions. There 
were also 177 wells on private premises. The number of public 
fountains has not been increased, but great additions have been 
made to those in private houses and public establishments. 

The largest fountain in the capital is the one in the Plaza Mayor. 
It consists of a square stone basement, three feet and a half high, 
each side measuring fifteen varas; it has stone steps all round and 
an open channel to carry off the waste water. Over this basement 
is the principal tazza nine varas in diameter, supported by eight 
lions and as many griffins. In the centre of this rises a pedestal eight- 
teen feet high, and composed of three parts ; on this rests the second 
tazza of three varas in circumference, from which water escapes 
through the mouths of several masks. Above this second tazza rises 
a column two feet in diameter, and two varas high, decorated with 
foliage and other ornaments, with four figures holding up the third 
tazza, six varas and two thirds in circumference, which receives wa- 
ter thrown up from ten seraphim. Another column of two varas 
supports a vase of foliage which is surmounted by a statue of Fame. 
The fountain is made of bronze, and its total height is fifteen varas 
and one third (forty-two English feet). 

At each corner of the basement, there is a basin decorated with 
mouldings. 

This fountain cost 85,000 piastres and was inaugurated on the 
21st of September 1578. 

The municipality has recently made a fine garden round the 
fountain, inclosed by an iron palisade. Fountains have also been 
placed in the four corners of the square, which has been well 
paved , and embellished with marble vases and seats of the same 
material. 

Paving: and Flag'g-ing'. — The paving of the roadway in the 
streets is the worst that can be imagined; being made of round 
stones, the surface is so very uneven as to be very bad not only for 
persons on foot, but also for horses and carriages. The poor animals 



i2 LIMA. 

soon fall lame and carriages are always getting out of repair owing 
to the roughness of the road. Add to this the further disadvantage 
that open gutters run down many of the streets, which spread into 
wide pools when any obstacle arrests their course , so as to make 
walking, if not impossible, at least extremely unpleasant. 

As a remedy for these inconveniences, the Government propo- 
sed to repave the streets and make sewers to carry off not only 
the surface water but also the slops from the houses. As an expe- 
riment a new pavement was laid down in one street and sewers 
made; in two others a kind of stone tramway was laid down, 
but without under-ground drains. 

The old foot pavements were as bad as the pitching; but since 
1847 a new system has been introduced, and most of the streets 
now have raised foot-paths about five feet wide covered with flag- 
stones brought from Europe. 

Lijjhting-. — The streets are lighted with gas, in virtue of a 
privilege granted by the Government to a company, which is also 
bound to supply gas to all private individuals who may require it. 

Population. — The tirst inhabitants of Lima were only seventy 
in number : eleven accompanied Pizarro, thirty arrived soon after 
from Sangallan , and twenty-eight joined them from Jauja. The 
eleven companions of the founder were : the treasurer Alonso Ri- 
quelme, the inspector Garcia de Salcedo, Nicolas de Rivera (senior), 
Nicolas de Rivera (junior), Rodrigo Mazuelas, Juan Tello, Rui Diaz, 
Alonso Martin de D. Benito, Cristobal Palomino, Cristobal de Pe- 
ralta, and Antonio de Picado, secretary to the Government. 

At present, the population amounts, according to the last cen- 
sus, to 121,362 souls, of whem 26,619 are natives of Lima; 35,992 
come from different parts of the Republic, and 38,761 are fo- 
reigners. 

As already stated , the number of original inhabitants was se- 
venty, including the founder; in the year 1820, according to offi- 
cial returns, the population was 64,000, having increased in 283 
years of colonization, by 63,930 souls, and during the following 
43 years of independence by 57,302. These figures show that the 



LIMA. 13 

average increase of population for each year of colonization was 
224^,, and for each year of independence 1274|-|. 

The registers of births and deaths prove that, on the average, 
the former are 3,200 yearly, and the latter 4,000. It is necessary 
to observe that the deaths include many foreigners and provincials 
admitted into the hospitals of the city. 

We shall treat, in another place, of the present population with 
regard to difference of race. 

Public Buildings. — The first edifices erected by Pizarro were : 
the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace, and 
the City-hall. 

The Government Palace contains the offices and apartments of 
the President of the Republic, the five Ministries, or offices of the 
Secretaries of State; the Supreme Court of the Republic, and the 
chief Court of the Department, with their secretaries' offices and 
archives ; the General Direction of Finance ; the Court of Ac- 
counts; the General Treasury; the Stamp-office; the Staff of the 
Garrison, the Prefecture of the Department; the Sub-Prefecture 
of the Province, and the National Printing-office. 

The building still retains its original form, which is certainly" 
not the best suited for the seat of the Government of Peru. We 
will not attempt to describe it, as our pen shrinks from undertaking 
a task so unpleasant. Some few repairs and alterations have been 
made in the apartments of the President and in the Ministries, 
but they have not changed the unsightly aspect of an edifice which 
ought to be the best in the capital. 

The palace has been occupied, from 1535 to 1821, by three 
governors , of whom , the Conqueror , Francisco Pizarro , was the 
first, and forty-three viceroys, of whom the last was D. Jose de La- 
cerna, who capitulated in 1824 with the Republican army after its 
victory at Ayacucho. 

From 1821 to 1865, the palace has been the residence of fifty- 
three Chiefs of the State under different denominations, without 
counting five Councils of Government. The first Chief of the Re- 
public who, under the title o{ Protector of Peru , exercised the 



14 LIMA. 

dictatorship , was General D.J. San Martin. Of these fifty-three 
Chiefs of the State, only six Presidents have owed their office to 
popular election. 

The Archbishop s Palace, which contains the prelate's residence, 
with the offices and archives of the Ecclesiastical Court, stands 
near the Cathedral; it presents nothing remarkable. 

From 1543 down to the present time, it has been occupied by 
twenty-t>YO archbishops. The first was Dr. D. F. Geronimo de 
Loaiza, who took possession of the bishopric of Lima in that year, 
and received the pallium of archbishop in 1548. The present 
archbishop is Senor D. D. Jose Sebastian deGoyeneche, the senior 
of all the catholic bishops now living. 

Sixty-seven temples^ of which one is the Cathedral , five are pa- 
rish churches, tAvo chapels of ease; six belong to convents of existing 
communities, two to congregations of regular clergy, thirteen to 
existing monasteries, four to beaterios (Beguin-houses); six are public 
chapels served by monks; thirteen are public churches or chapels; 
four belong to houses for religious exercises; one to nuns hospital- 
lers, and ten to suppressed couvents. 

The Cabildo (Municipal Council)^ which contains the halls for 
the sessions with the secre'aries' offices and the archives. 

The Casa de Moneda (Mint) , with all the offices and workshops 
for coining. The Tribunal of Mines also sits in this building. 

The University, containing the halls for literary exercices ; one 
room in this building is occupied by the College of Advocates, and 
the Chamber of Deputies holds its sittings in the chapel. 

The Senate House. 

The National Library , part of which contains the Museum of 
Antiquities and of Natural History. 

Eight National Colleges. — One for the study of jurisprudence ; 
an ecclesiastical seminary; a college for the study of Medicine and 
the accessory sciences; one for secondary instruction; a Normal 
School; a Naval and Military Institute; a College for Obstetrics, and 
a School of Arts and Trades. 

An Infant Asylum. 



LIMA. 15 

An Orphan School. 

A Prison for accused persons. 

A Penitentiary. 

A Public Slaughter-house. 

Five Hospitals : One for men, another for women; a third for 
soldiers, and two for persons affected with incurable diseases. 

A Lunatic Asylum, for persons of either sex. 

An Asylum for Avidows of decayed tradesmen. 

A General Cemetery. 
, A Consulado (Tribunal of Commerce). 

The General Administration of the Post-ofiice and the Direccion 
de Beneficencia (Board for Relieving the Poor) have no edifices 
appropriated to them. 

As places of amusement Lima has : 

A Theatre (belonging to the municipality). 

A Circus for cock fighting (private property). 

A Circus for bull- fights (belonging to the Board for Relieving 
the Poor). 



PART II. 



PLACES OF WORSHIP. 

Catbedral. — This church, as already stated, was built by Fran- 
cisco Pizarro^ and considerably improved by Archbishop Loaiza. 
Owing t© earthquakes and other interruptions, it Avas not comple- 
ted till ninety years after its foundations were laid, and its total 
cost was 594,000 piastres. This edifice, Iming been shattered by 
the earthquake of 1 746 , was rebuilt by the viceroy, Count de Su- 
perunda. 

The following description taken from an old author will give an 
idea of the magnificence of the structure : — "The length of the 
front is 162 varas, including, at each end, a tower of three stories, 
with a square basement of the Tuscan order, uniting strength with 
beauty. The upper stories are faced with pilasters and have cornices 
so wide that the visitor, notwithstanding the great height, can walk 
all round outside without the least fear of falling. The towers are 
55 varas high, and 14 square at the base. Each of them may be as- 
cended by a staircase which is two varas wide at the top. The in- 
terval of 41 varas between the two towers is occupied by the three 
naves of the church corresponding with the doors which open to- 
wards the square, on a parvise 20 varas in width. The portals are 
approached by seven stone steps half a vara wide and half a foot 
in height, bounded at their extremities by stone parapets. An iron 
palisading, erected on a stone basement, and interrupted by six stone 



IS 



LIMA. 



pedestals supporting bronze globes , separates this parvise from the 
public square. 

"The principal portal, the middle one, called the Door of Par- 
don, is fi\e varas and a half in \Yidth, and about double that in 
height. It is surmounted by a most remarkable frontispiece in Pa 
uama slone^ which is, beyond dispute, the finest in the kingdom 
This frontispice is composed of three distinct portions : first , four 
fluted columns of the Corinthian order, each two feet in dia- 
meter, and high in proportion; they bear capitals of their order, 
architraves, and friezes decorated with sculptures in demi-relief 




Front view oi tlie Catliedral. 



The entablatures have indentations and consoles, and on them rest 
pedestals serving as the basis of the second story. On each side, in 
the space between the columns , appear, in four lofty niches , as 
many statues above two varas in height, which represent the Evan- 
gelists, St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, and lastly, that sublime 
doctor of the Church, St. Jerome. 

" The second story, also of the Corinthian order, is composed 
of fluted pilasters, half a vara in depth and three-quarters wide, 
surmounted by Corinthian capitals with sculptured friezes and ar- 
chitraves. In the intervals between these pilasters are two admirably 
ornamented niches , containing statues of St. Peter and St. Paul. 



uin litb 



Imo l.emercisr et C"r,(]e Seine Pai 



SEN OR J. S . DE GOYENECHE 

Ajxhtisliop of LiiBi and senior Ga.tholic 



LIMA. 



19 



Over the keystone of the arch of the portal , between the two prin- 
cipal frontispieces , in a niche of magnificent design , stands an 
image of the Holy Virgin. Above this is the principal window of 
the second story and in it a statue of the blessed Toribio Alfonso, 
in baret, camail, and rochet, giving his blessing to an Indian kneel- 
ing before him. The third portion is a segmental pediment in 
which are the royal and imperial arms , on a shield two varas wide 
and three in height, surrounded by richly sculptured ornaments. 

"To crown the whole, there is a pedestal bearing the statue 
of St. John the Evangelist, the patron of the Cathedral, with the 
eagle at his feet, the book and pen in his hands. This statue is 
three varas in height. 

" This splendid portal has a smaller one on each side, opening 
into the lateral naves of the church. These two doors are four varas 
and a half wide and eight in height. The lower part is of the Doric 
order, the second and third both Corinthian. The windows above, 
decorated with pilasters, arcades, friezes, cornices, and frontispieces 
of Panama stone , are each nineteen varas high , being exceeded by 
those of the middle portal, which are twenty-five varas. 

"The church is divided into three naves and two side-aisles, 
containing the chapels, Avhich are eight varas and a half in depth. 
The middle nave is fourteen varas and a half wide,- the other two 
each ten and a half. If we allow three varas for the space occupied 
by the pillars, we find that the three naves and two rows of pillars 
dividing the church have a total width of thirty-eight varas. 

"The vaulted roof of each nave is divided into nine bays, 
the whole remarkable for solidity and admirable for beauty : two 
are behind the principal body. Under the first bay, near the 
entrance from the Door of Pardon , stands the monument of the 
Holy Week , a wonderful work in three parts : the first rises on 
eight columns with its intervals and ovals of extraordinary archi- 
tecture. The three parts of this sacred mausoleum , constructed 
^^ holly of polished white marble, with gilded profiles, and on which 
all the resources of art have been lavished , attain the height of 
twenty-two varas. On the platform of the first part, which is reached 



20 LIMA. 

by four flights of nine steps each, the services of the holy days are 
celebrated. 

"The middle nave, on reaching the choir, meets the vault which 
forms the centre of the cross and measures forty-five feet square. 
It is flanked by the four bays of the transepts , at the end of which 
are the two magnificent side-doors of the church, which are fifteen 
feet wide by thirty in height; one is the southern door, which ad- 
mits the cool air and light, and leads into the cathedral yard, 
extending for a width of thirty-six feet, all along the church, and 
continued, but with a width of thirty feet only, towards the apsis on 
the eastern side, where there are two other doors corresponding 
with the lateral doors of the principal front : the second door of 
the transept opens on the Patio de los Narmijos (Court of Orange- 
trees), precisely like that of the same name at Seville. 

"The bays of the principal nave which come next comprise 
the space occupied by the choir, which, like that of Seville, is 
twenty-four varas in length by thirteen and a half wide. It is fur- 
nished with remarkable stalls, all sculptured in precious wood, such 
as cedar and mahogany, and designed in the purest style of art. 
There are seventy-five of these seats, high and low, with their 
entablatures, columns, and mouldings; each back forms a niche, 
on which are sculptures in full relief representing the Saviour of 
the World, his Virgin Mother, the twelve Apostles, the Evangelists, 
the doctors of the Greek Church and of the Latin, the Pontiffs and 
the Patriarchs of the two communions, — the whole surmounted 
by capitals, architraves, cornices, etc. The Archbishop's seat is larger 
in size, more abundantly and more richly sculptured, than those 
of the canons , and its back is higher. The iron screen at the en- 
trance of the choir opposite the high altar is a remarkable concep- 
tion; it is of the Corinthian order, and the inner side differs from 
the outer. Curiosity finds ample gratification in the midst of all 
these beauties, the wonderful execution of which the beholder feels 
unable sufficiently to admire. 

" On ascending five steps we come to the sanctuary and the high 
altar, which is raised fifteen feet above the floor of the church : it 



LIMA. 



21 



is of an imposing size , as becomes the celebration of the holy ser- 
\'ices and the majesty of divine worship. Against the first two pillars 
supporting the vaulted roof are fixed two desks which receive the 
missal when the epistles and gospels are chanted. On the altar stands 
a very admirable tabernacle, of an octagonal form, surrounded with 
ornaments cut in openwork. This tabernacle is formed of two parts 
and is surmounted by a superb finial. On the principal festival days 
it is covered with a splendid decoration , consisting of pedestals , 
columns, cornices, and a cupola, of massive silver, the whole 
proportioned to its dimensions. The sanctuary is surrounded with 
handsome iron palisading. On each side of the altar, there is a 
flight of eleven steps for the use of the priests and other officiating 
ministers. 

" In the second bay behind the choir, stands the image oi Nues- 
tra Senora de la Antigua, so famous for miracles, and so attrac- 
tive for devout persons on account of the beauty of her chapel, 
which is a copy oi Los Remedios , at Seville. Indeed, the plan of 
the metropolitan church of Lima was almost entirely copied from 
that of Seville. The resemblance between the two churches there- 
fore strikes every body. Each of them has nine doors and nume- 
rous chapels under the invocation of the same saints; but if one of 
these edifices surpasses in extent , the other has the advantage in 
richness of ornament. 

" In the immense crypt under the choir is a very spacious vault 
divided into three compartments, and which is entered by two doors 
in the side naves. In the walls of this vault , recesses have been 
made to be used as burial-places for the archbishops : the viceroys 
were formerly interred there. In this pantheon is preserved the 
head of Francisco Pizarro, also the remains of his daughter Fran- 
cisca, who bequeathed considerable property to pay for the daily 
celebration of mass at the high altar : the cost of ornaments and the 
other expenses occasioned by this mass are paid with the interest 
of one thousand gold piastres left for the purpose." 

In the church and vestries there are paintings of great merit. 
Here are also preserved a piece of the True Cross sent by Pope Ur- 



22 



LIMA. 



ban VIII., and the relics of St. Julian, St. Sebastian, St. Adrian, 
St. Marina, St. Saturninus, and St. Faustus, all martyrs. 

Among the paintings most deserving of notice, ihere is a fine 
portrait of St. Veronica, bequeathed to the church by Archbishop 
Luna-Pizarro; this portrait, the work of the celebrated Murillo, for 
which as much as 5,000 piastres had been offered to its owner, 
hangs in the chapel of Santo Toribio. 

The same Senor Luna also presented to the Cathedral another 
gift equally valuable and useful, being a fine organ, undoubtedly 
the best in South- America : it was ordered m Belgium, and cost, 
including its erection in the choir, about 16,000 piastres. 

Of all the prelates who, since the Independence, have ascended 
the archiepiscopal throne, Seilor Luna has undoubtedly done most 
to win the respect of his fellow-citizens. 

This church was erecled into an episcopal see under the invoca- 
tion of St. John the Evangelist, by a bull of Pope Paul III., on the 
i 4th of May 1541, published at Lima on the 1 7th of September 1 543 
by the first bishop, Dr. J. Geronimo de Loaiza. In 1545, it became 
the metropolitan church. 

The solemn festivals celebrated in the Cathedral, in presence of 
the members of the Government and the oilier authorities, are the 
following : Candlemas, Ash- Wednesday , Palm-Sunday, Maundy- 
Thursday, Good-Friday, St. Joseph, Easter-Sunday, the anniversary 
of the Independence, the Assumption (sermon by the Archbishop), 
St. Rosa (ditto), the Immaculate Conception, the anniversary of the 
battles of Junin and Ayacucho, and Christmas Day. 

The metropolitan chapter consists of the Archbishop and the D^an, 
the Archdeacon , the Precentor, the Master of the School and the 
Treasurer, six Canons, four Prebends, and four Semi-Prebends. 
The synod is composed of ten Examiners presided by the Arch- 
bishop. 

PARISH-CHURCHES. 

The Sagrario and Chapel of Ease of the Orphans. — In describ- 
ing the Cathedral we mentioned the Court of Orange-trees, where 



LIMA. 23 

stood, before the last rebuilding of the temple, lodgings for the first 
sextons, a house for the accountant, and the great Chapter-hall, 
ornamented ^vith a handsome gallery looking on the Plaza Major. 
In this hall the provincial councils and synods assembled at Lima 
held their sessions. After the destruction of these buildings, the 
ground was assigned for the erection of the chapel 6f the Sagrario, 
which is used as a parish church, and was built in the time of the 
Archbishop Don Melchor de Linan y Cisneros. The Court of Orange- 
trees was then reduced to one half its original size and only the 
premises destined for the offices and archives of the Ecclesiastical 
Court were preserved. 

From the first foundation of the Cathedral till 1541, the parochial 
services were performed by the Dominicans, in memory of which 
they retain, to this day, in their church, the original baptismal 
font. 

The parish of the Sagrario is very extensive; therefore, to meet 
the increasing wants of the service, owing to the great number of 
parishioners, the chapel of ease of the Orphans was erected and its 
services performed by the first vicar. 

The parish church contains eleven altars, and the chapel of ease, 
five. 

Santa Ana and the Chapel of Ease of the (^ercado. — This parish 
was constituted in 1530 by Archbishop Loaiza, in the church of the 
hospital of Santa Ana; tlie church was burned down in March 1790, 
and rebuilt as it now stands. 

The chapel of ease was founded by the Jesuits in 1572, and was 
originally served by them; but after their expulsion, it was declared 
a dependence of Santa Ana. 

The parish church has eleven altars; the chapel of ease, ten. 

San Sebastian. — This parish was formed in 1561 by the same 
Archbishop Seiior Loaiza; the church has thirteen altars. 

San Marcelo. — This church also ov,ed its origin to Senor Loaiza, 
in 1585; there are thirteen altars. 

San Lazaro. — The church of this name was founded in the year 
1 563 for the use of the hospital to which it was then annexed ; but, 



24 



LIMA. 



owing to the frequent inundations which occasionally rendered com- 
munications impossible between the upper and lower parts of the 
town, Archbishop Santo Toribio ordered, in 1604, that it should 
be a chapel of ease to the Sagrario, and that it should be provided 
with every thing necessary for the administration of the sacraments. 
By a royal decree of 1746 , San Lazaro was made an independent 
parish. This church has ten altars. 



La Merced. — The church and convent of La Merced were built 
in 1534 by Hernando Pizarro, brother to the Conqueror, and cost 
700,000 piastres. The church has twenty-three altars. Several fes- 
tivals are celebrated here, the principal, which falls on the 24th Sep- 
tember, being that of the Virgin of Las Mercedes, patroness of the 
arms of the Republic. 



The convent , at first built under the invocation of the Nativity 
of Our Lady, was afterwards called de la Madre de Dios de la Mer- 



GHURCHES OF EXISTING CONVENTS, 




Mrdmtl It Imi 

Front of llie Clmrch of La Merced 




i 



Imp ffa/ird i dii Jarclmd. Jl hns 



Front of tlie Cburch of SUugustme.. 



LIMA. 



23 



cea, Redendon de Cautivos (of the Mother of God of Mercy, Re- 
demption of Captives), and the first fathers of the order who came 
to Peru were Father Osenes and Friar Martin de Victoria. The first 
mass ever said in Lima was celebrated by Father F. Antonio Bravo 
of La Merced. 

San Agiistin. — This church was buiU in 1554. Archbishop 
Loaiza laid the first stone , and the whole of the cost was defrayed 
by Hernan Gonzales de la Torre and his wife Donna Juana Cepeda. 
The church has sixteen altars. The principal festival celebrated here 
is that of the patron saint, on the 28th of August. 




The first Augustine monk who come to Lima, in 1548, was Fa- 
ther Agustin de la Trinidad ; his object was to prepare lodgings 
for twelve friars of his order, who were to found a community, and 
they arrived at Callao toward the end of May 1551. 

The Augustine friars celebrated their first mass on the festival of 
St. John the Baptist in a poor little oratory which Father Agustin 
fitted up in his lodgings, and the first public mass on the 2nd July, 
the festival of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. 



20 LIMA. 

San. Francisco. — This convent was founded on the same day as 
the capital, at the instance of the father of the order, Fernando de 
la Cruz. The church has twenty-six altars. Within the convent there 
is a house for devotional exercises. 




The first site assigned to Fatlier de la Cruz for the Franciscan 
convent was outside the city and very limited. The friars applied 
to the viceroy, the Marquis de Gahete, for a more suitable place, 
and he offered to give them whatever ground they could inclose in 
one night. Acting on this promise , the monks collected the neces- 
sary materials, and in the short time allowed, they raised two 
fences, one of which completely stopped up a street, and thus in- 
closed a whole manzana (square lot of ground) containing an or- 
chard and a large pond. 

The municipality protested against this act as an encroachment 
on their rights , and demanded that the street should be restored 
to them , but the viceroy, who wished to favour the Franciscans, 



LIMA. 27 

had the ground in question vahied and paid for it out of his own 
purse. 

The church and convent of tlie Franciscans are the most sump- 
tuous in Lima, both internally and externally. The altars are rich 
and of modern construction. 

Los Descakos. — The church and convent of the Descalzos 
(Barefooted Friars) were founded in 1592 by Father Andres Corzo, 
at the foot of Mount San Cristobal. The church has ten altars; in 
the convent there is a house of devotional exercises for men. 

The friars of this convent enjoyed certain revenues, but when the 
Missionary monks took charge of it in 1852 , they gave up the re- 
venues in order to live in the strict observance of their rules. 
St. Francisco Solano belonged to this convent. 

Santo Dominjfo. — The Dominican friars were the first ecclesias- 
tics who landed in Peru. Pizarro had seven monks of this order in 
his suite and among them Father Vicente Valverde, who makes a 




\i(:;vv ot me iii'si L,ioisier oi iiie Dominican Convent. 



very prominent figure in the history of the conquest of South- 
America. 



28 



LIMA. 



On the \ery day of the founding of Lima , Pizarro gave the Do- 
minicans a site for a convent. But, being occupied with the service 
of the Cathedral and the administration of the sacraments, the 
friars Hved for some time close to that edifice in reed huts of their 
own building. 



The King of Spain , in 1549, confirmed the different donations 
of land made by Pizarro to the Dominicans, on which have been 
erected the magnificent convent and majestic temple which now 
exist. 

The' church has ten altars. A great number of festivals are cele- 
brated in it, of which the most important are those of Our Lady of 
the Rosary. 

The first prayers said in Lima, the first mass celebrated in the 
Cathedral, the first sacraments administered, were all by the Domi- 
nican friars , and as a souvenir of the first administration of the 
sacraments they still retain (as already mentioned) the original bap- 
tismal font. 

llecoleta Domhiica (1), — This convent, a dependency of the 
(1) This name was applied to another convent founded by the Dominicans. 




LIMA. 29 

preceding, was founded in 1606, by Father F. Juan Lorenzana, pro- 
"vincial of the order of St. Dominic. 
The church has thirteen altars. 

The foundation was made under the invocation of the Blessed 
Magdalen, and at its origin the convent did not admit revenues of 
any sort, for the friars were bound to beg their food from door to 
door. 

Conjyreg-ation of St. Philip Neri. — This church, known by the 
name of Sa?i Pedro, was founded in 1598, for the purpose of cele- 
brating masses for the patients in the hospital of San Pedro which 
then stood on the spot now occupied by the house of the Recogidas 
(recluses). 

After the expulsion of the Jesuits, which took place in 1767, the 
building called the Colegio Maximo de San Pablo (High College of 




St. Paul), was given to the Congregation of St. Philip Neri, already 
organized as far back as 1683, and there the fathers of that body 
still reside. 

The church contains seventeen altars. The chief festivals there 



30 



LIMA. 



are those celebrated by the brothers of the confraternity o^Nuestm 
Seuora de la 0, and that of Ghriu, on Holy Saturday. 

The church of San Pedro is one of the most sumptuous in the 
capital; it is of immense size, and contains a great number of ar- 
tistic beauties. 

Biiena 3Iiierte (t). — The convent of the Agonizantes was erected 
on premises situated in the Calle de Rufas given for the purpose 
by Don Antonio Velarde y Bustamante^ on the 3Ist October 1710; 
and Donna Mariana del Castillo, widow of Don Pedro Bravo de La- 




gunas, declared herself protectress of the chapel. At her death, this 
lady gave her house to the community, and on its site the present 
convent and church were built. 

The church has seven altars. The most remarkable festivals cele- 
brated there are those of St. Camillus, on the 15th of July, and of 
the Octave of Corpus Christi. 



(1) Happy Death. 



LIMA. 



31 



CHURCHES OF EXISTING MONASTERIES. 



Encarnacion. — This was the lirst convent of nuns estabhshed 
at Lima. Its foundresses were Donna Mencia de Sosa, and her mo- 
ther Donna Leonor Portocarrero. The retirement of these ladies was 
made in their own dwelhng-house, in which they cloistered them- 
selves rigorously, and assumed the habits of Augustine nuns. Se- 



veral other pious ladies having joined them, they tinished an edifice 
appropriate for a monastery, on the 25tli May 1558 , the festival of 
the Incarnation , and gave their house the name of Nostra Seiiora 
de los Remedios. 
The church has nine altars. 

Concepcion. — This convent was founded in 1573 by Donna In6s 
Muhoz de Rivera, widow of the commander Don Antonio de Rivera, 
and by Donna Maria Chavez. 

The church has seven altars. 




32 



LIMA. 



La Trinidad. — Founded in 1580 by Donna Lucrecia Sauzolas 
and her daughter Donna Mencia de Vargas. 
The church has ten altars. 

Santa Clara. — Founded by SanloToribio in 1396. Though the 
order of these nuns is Franciscan, they follow the rules of the Cla- 
risas of the Observance. ^ 

The church has nine altars. 

Santa Catalina. — Founded in 1624, by Donna Lucia Guerra de 
la Daga and her sister Donna Clara, aided by Don Juan Robles, 
priest and majordomo of the Cathedral. 

The church has ten altars. ' 



Descalzas. — This conYcnt of barefooted nuns was, founded in 
1603 by Donna Leonor Rivera; her sister Donna Beatrix deOrosco, 
as well as other pious persons, contributed considerable sums for 
the purpose. 

The church has ten altars. 

Prado. — Built in 1640 by Donna Angela de Iriarte y Rosalde, 
a nun of the b^carnation, which monastery she left with four other 
nuns to found this new one. 




34 



LIMA. 



this same gentleman , as well as Donna Catalina Daria, Don Miguel 
Bobadilla, and other persons, contributed important suras. 
The church has seven altars. 

Trinitarias. — Founded in 1682 by Donna Anna de Robles. 
The church has nine altars. 

Nazarenas. — The founding of this monastery was" approved by 
a bull of Pope Benedict XIII., promulgated in 1727. It was opened 
on the 18th March 1730. The first persons who entered it were 




three nuns taken from the convent of the Descahas by the viceroy, 
the Marquis de Castel Fuerte. 
The church has seven altars. 

Capuchins of Jesus Maria. — This convent was founded at the 
instance of Maria Jacinta de la Santi'sima Trinidad. Five Capuchin 
nuns came from Madrid to settle in it , in conformity with royal 
letters issued in 1698, 1699, and 1709. 

The church has eight altars. 

Mercedarias. — This convent was founded, in 1723, with mo- 
ney supplied by Donna Ana de Medina and her daughters, Donna 
Tomasa de la Cruz and Donna Bernarda de la Madre de Dios, who 
had previously formed a house of this order. 



LIMA. 



35 




Santa Rosa. — Founded, in 1708, at the instance of several 
nuns living in a house called Rosas de Santa Maria. Donna Helena 



36 



LIMA. 



Rodriguez de Corte-Real contributed 130,000 piastres towards the 
expense. 

The church has eight altars. 



CHURCHES OF EXISTING BEATERIOS (BEGUIN-HOSUES ). 

Beaterio de Amparadas. ~ Founded in 1670 to receive penitent 
females. The chapel has seven altars. 

Beaterio de Vitei'bo. — Founded in 1680. Its church has seven 
altars. 

Beaterio del Patrocinio. — Founded in 1688. Its church has eight 
altars. 



Beaterio de Copacabana. — Founded in 1691. Its church has 
nine altars. This house was intended exclusively for the education 
of Indian girls. 

Its origin is said to be as follows: The Virgin of Copacabana was 
adored in a small hermitage situated in the Cercado (outskirts) of 
Lima. One morning the hermitage was found unroofed, and the 




LIMA. 



37 



Virgin covered with profuse perspiration. The most illustrious 
Senor Santo Toribio then had the Virgin carried to the Cathedral, 
where she remained, all the services of her worship being perform- 
ed by a brotherhood of Indians, until the year above-mentioned, 
when the chapel and beaterio were founded at the expense of Don 
Francisco de Escobar. 

PUBLIC CHAPELS OF REGULAR MONKS. 

La Vera Cruz. — Annexed to the church of St. Dominic, and 
founded by Pizarro in 1540. Many curious relics are preserved here. 

La Soledad. — Annexed to St. Francisco. 

Las Reliquias. — Situaled inside the convent of San Agustin. 

El Sr. de Consuelo (the Lord of Consolation). — Situated in the 
portal of the convent of San Agustin. 

El Sr. de los Afligidos (the Lord of the Afflicted). — In the ce- 
metery of the church of La Merced, on the side facing the Calle de 
Jesus Nazareno. 

OTHER PUBLIC CHURCHES AND CHAPELS. 

Los Desamparados (the Forsahen). — This church, situated in 
the small square of the same name, formerly belonged to one of the 
principal Jesuit convents. It was built in 1630 by Father Castillo. 

El Espiritu Santo. — A dependency of the old hospital of the 
same name, intended for sailors; founded in 1571 at the instance 
of an old mariner named Miguel de Acosta. 

La Caridad (Charity). — Annexed to the old hospital of that 
name, situated in the Plaza de la Constitucion (formerly, de la In- 
quisicion). It was founded by the confraternity of Charity on an es- 
tate given for the purpose by Donna Ana Rodriguez de Solorzano. 
Great ravages made in the capital by an epidemic, in 1559, were 
the cause of its foundation. 

San Carlos. — Annexed to the college so called, was built in 
1597. The Jesuits long occupied the college as a house of probation 
for their novices. 



38 LIMA. 

IViiestra Senora del Rosario de abajo del Puente (Our Lady of 
the llosary below Bridg'e). — This is said to be the first chapel 
erected on the other side of the I'^imac. 

Naranjos. — Founded by Don Juan Garazatua on the 7th of Ja- 
nuary 1767. 

Sanctuary of Santa Rosa. — In this building, which was for- 
merly a Dominican convent, there are two churches — one outside, 
belonging to the order; the other inside, built on the spot hal- 
lowed by the birth and death of Santa Rosa de Santa Maria, the 
glorious patroness of Lima and of all America. 

In this last church, precious relics of that saint are preserved. 

Las Cabezas. — Originally founded in 1615, and rebuilt in 1639 
by the Father Inquisitor Don Antonio Castro del Castillo. 

San Lorenzo. — Begun by order of Don Lorenzo Encalada in 
1786, and finished in 1834 by Dr. Don Lorenzo Soria, from his 
own resources. 

Copacabana del Cercada. — Formerly an Indian hermitage, and 
from it the miraculous sweating statue of the Virgin was removed, 
in the year 1596, to the Beaterio of the same name. • 

Cocharcas. — Annexed to a small convent founded in 1681 by a 
native named Sebastian Alonzo , to receive and educate the sons of 
the caciques. The first church stood on a spot opposite the site of 
the present one, which was built in 1777. 

Baratillo. — Situated in the small square of the same name , 
below the bridge; it was erected in 1635. 

HOUSES OF DEVOTION FOR MEN. 

These, as already stated, are situated inside the convents of the 
Franciscans and Descalzos and were founded , the first at the re- 
quest of Father Miguel Echevarria in 1738, and the second by San 
Francisco Solano. 

HOUSES OF DEVOTION FOR WOMEN. 

Casa del Corazon de Jesus (Heart of Jesus). — Founded under 
the direction of the Jesuits in the year 1754, 



LIMA. 39 

Casa de Santa Rosa. — Buill with property left for the purpose 
by Donna Rosa Catah'na Vazques de Velasco y Peraha. 

CHURCH OF THE MONKS HOSPITALLERS. 

The only one remaining in Lima is the Iglesia del Refugio, built 
by the Bethlemite Fathers when they took charge of the hospital to 
which it is annexed. *" 

CHURCHES OF SUPPRESSED CONVENTS. 

Santo Tomas. — Founded in 1645, dependent on the old college 
of the same name intended for teaching the sciences constituting 
the educational curriculum of the Dominicans. The convent was 
once splendid, but is now almost destroyed, 

Guadalupe. — Annexed to the convent of the same name, which, 
since the suppression of the monks, has been used as barracks. It 
is near the Porta de Guadalupe. In 16H Don Alonso Roman Cer- 
vantes and Elvira de la Scrna built a hermitage on this spot, which 
they subsequently transferred to the Franciscans to become the site 
of the college of San Buenaventura, and the friars erected the col- 
lege and church. This last has been recently renovated by Colonel 
Don Juan N. Vargas. 

Belen (Bethlehem). — Founded in 1604 by Donna Paula Pilardo; 
it contains nine altars. 

Santa Liberata. — Founded in 1711 by the viceroy, Ladron de 
Guevara, because at this spot were found some consecrated wafers 
enclosed in the holy pyx, which had been stolen from the Sagra- 
rio. It has seven altars. 

San Francisco de Paula Viejo (Old St. Fi*ancis de Paula). — Si- 
tuated in the Calle de Malambo and formerly known by the name 
of Niiestra Senora del Socorro. It has seven altars. This church is in 
a dilapidated state , and service is seldom performed in it. 

Sao Francisco de Paula Nuevo (New St. Francis de Paula). — 
Founded in 1794 by the monks of that order; it is in the same 
street as the preceding, and has eleven altars. 



40 : LIMA. 

San Pedro IVolasco. — Founded in 1626 by Father Juan Vallejo, 
provincial of La Merced; it stands in the street of the same name, 
and has seven altars. 

Monserrat. — Built by two lay Benedictines on ground given for 
the purpose by Donna Maria Loaiza and with funds supplied by Don 
Antonio Perez de la Canal; it has five altars. 

[HERMANDADES (BROTHERHOODS). 

In the churches and chapels divers brotherhoods or confrater- 
nities have been established, of which the principal are : 

The Congreg-ation of Nuestra Senora de la O. — Founded in the 
Oratory of St. Philip Neri. This brotherhood receives every year 
a greater number of members than any other on account of the 
numerous prayers said for the repose of the souls of deceased bre- 
thren. Besides, it yearly expends 500 piastres in portions of 20 pias- 
tres each, to be distributed to twenty-five poor persons; 500 pias- 
tres for a commemorative anniversary, and 1,000 piastres in two 
wedding portions of 500 each. 

The admission fee for each brother is 70 piastres. This congrega- 
tion pays for 15,000 masses yearly. 

The Arcliconfraternity of Nuestra Senora de la Purissima. — 
Founded by permission of Archbishop Loaiza , and organized in 
1558. The founders were tailors, and for a long time none but 
members of their corporation could hold the office of majordomo of 
the brotherhood. This restriction disappeared in 1699. 

The archconfraternity is managed by a general junta of brethren 
and (by delegation) by a select junta composed of the majordomos, 
treasurers, deputies, syndics, and the advocate. 

Sociedad Vascongada de Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu. — Foun- 
ded in 1612. 

Archconfraternity of Nuestra Senora del Rosario. — Founded in 
1562. To give some idea of the former wealth of this brotherhood, 
we need only make the following extracts from the inventories deli- 



LIMA. 



41 



vered to the majordomos on taking charge of the property belonging 
to it : 

WEIGHT OF THE SILVER SERVICE OF THE ALTAR. 



Marcos (1) Onzas. 

Elanda(2) 1002 

Twelve lamps 782 

Front of altar 297 2 1/2 

Virgin's throne 41 1 1 

Columns and fittings of tabernacle 387 2 

Doors of ditto 241 

Doors of Virgin's niche 103 5 

Four large taper-stands 223 3 

Six smaller ditto 150 1 

Arches of thQ niche 152 4 

Twenty mayas (3) 202 

The Remonstrance contained : 

Diamonds 1304 

Rubies 522 

Emeralds 1029 

Amethysts 45 

Topazes 2 

Pearls 121 

The Virgin's crown : 

Diamonds 102 

Rubies ^102 

Emeralds loO 

Diadem in brilliants 3 

Rings in brilliants 29 

Ditto with small brilliants 4 



By a recent decree the Government has ordered that all the pro- 
perty of the brotherhoods shall be managed by the Beneficencia 
(Poor Relief Board). 

In the churches above enumerated four hundred and fifty-nine 
festivals are celebrated every year, and 39,607 masses are said , of 
which 19,506 are paid for by the brotherhoods. 



(1) The marco, of eight onzas, was equal to ten ounces troy. 

(2) A kind of hand-barrow for carrying relics of saints. 

(3) Long silver handles by which the taper-stands were carried. 



42 



LIMA. 



In all the churches mass is said nearly every day, but always on 
holydays. The hours are from six in the morning to one in the 
afternoon. In the church of St. Peter, on festivals, mass is said every 
half hour at the expense of the Congregacion de la 0. 

The total number of persons employed in religious services or in 
taking care of the churches, including priests and nuns, is 1,736. 



PART III. 



GOVERNMENT OFFICES AND PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS. 

Administration. — The Chief of the Republic has five ministers 
or secretaries of state : for foreign affairs; for government, police, 
and public works; for justice, charity, public instruction, and wor- 
ship; for finance and commerce; for war and marine. The offices of 
all five are in the palace. 

Lima, as capital of a department, is the residence of the prefect, 
and as capital of a province, of the sub-prefect and intendant of po- 
lice. 

From 1839 to 1857 municipalities were in abeyance. The first 
municipal council met at Lima twelve days after the founding of the 
city. The alcaldes were Nicolas de Rivera the Elder, and Juan Tello, 
companions of Pizarro. 

The municipality is charged with the urban police , the embel- 
lishment and salubrity of the city; the alcalde has the superinten- 
dence of all public spectacles. 

Besides these functions, the municipality keeps the registro del 
estado civil, or registry of all births, marriages, and deaths which 
occur within its district. 

T\iQ Post-office was estabhshed at Lima in 1772, and great im- 
provements having been made in its organization and management, 
its services are now conducted with tolerable regularity. 

The Court of Accounts yva.s, instituted in 1607 under the name of 
Contaduria-general de Valores ; its functions are confined to exa- 



44 LIMA. 

mining and passing the accounts presented every year by all the 
administrators of the public revenues. 

The Mint was established in 1565; it is now provided with all 
the most improved machinery for coining. 

The General Treasury was created the same day as the capital 
was founded. This office receives all the state revenues collected in 
the capital and makes all payments ordered by the Government 
through the medium of the ministers. 

The General Direction of Finance keeps the general account of 
the receipts and expenditure of the whole Republic. 

The General Direction of Public Credit was founded in 1826 under 
the name of Caja (Bank) de Con solid aci on. It was reorganized in 1853 
and empowered to collect all moneys intended for the redemption of 
the public debt and the payment of the interest thereon; it keeps 
the accounts of the export and sale of guano, and intervenes in all 
operations connected with the public debt, internal or external. 

Justice is administered in Peru by ordinary and special tribunals. 
The former are : 

The Tribunals of the Peace, instituted by a provisional regula- 
tion of the 10th April 1822 , replacing the old corregidors by jus- 
tices of the peace. Their jurisdiction extends only to limited dis- 
tricts and to civil and criminal matters of trifling importance. 

The Tribunals of First Instance, instituted at the same time to 
replace the old alcaldes , have jurisdiction over a province and try 
all sorts of causes in first resort. 

The Superior Courts., created by the political constitution of 1823. 

The Court of Lima, organized in 1821 under the name oi High 
Chamber of Justice, replaced the Royal Audience created by royal 
letters patent in 1343, which ordered that the tribunal existing at 
Panama under that name should be removed to Lima. The superior 
courts hear appeals from judgments of the tribunals of first instance 
in their respective districts. 

The Supreme Court was founded by an article of the constitution 
above-mentioned. It hears appeals from judgments of the superior 
courts. 



LIMA. 



45 



The special tribunals, entitled eclcsidstico , de axjuas, de minas, de 
comercin and de hacienda, respectively lake cognizance, as their 
names imply , of suits connected with the church , with rivers, 
mines, trade, and finance. 

Houses of Detention, — Carceletas. This prison is the building 
in which the Holy Inquisition used to torment , for the greater 
glory of God, persons possessed of the devil, and sorcerers. Its archi- 
tecture is therefore of a stern character, as befitted its primitive 
destination. 

It is now used as a place of confinement for persons accused of 
any offence whatever, but the public voice loudly demands that it 
be replaced by a prison more in harmony with the present state of 
civilization in Peru. 

Police Prison. — Here are the offices of the Intendant of Police. 
The building contains several wards for the reception of persons 
arrested for vagrancy, drunkenness, breaches of the peace, the in- 
fringement of police regulations, and offences against public de- 
cency. The persons apprehended by the police, if to be sent for 
trial , are removed to the Carceletas, and placed at the disposal of 
the judicial authorities. 

Penitentiary. — The first stone of this building, which, un- 
doubtedly, is one of the best of its kind in South-America, was 




External view of the Penitentiary. 



40 



LIMA. 



laid on the 31st of January 1856, by the Grand Marshal Don Ra- 
mon Castilla, president of the Republic. 

Don A. Mimey, the architect, drew the plan after the model of 
the best prisons in the United States. 

The front and the whole of the first story are built of granite. 

The prison contains three hundred and twelve cells for prisoners; 
two subterranean passages, by which the governor, unseen, can 
reach the centre of each ward ; offices for the administration, with 
various dependencies; work-rooms for the prisoners, a chapel, a 
refectory, kitchens, etc. 

The average number of prisoners is 220. 

Establishments of Public Instruction. — The Royal and Ponti- 
fical University of San Marcos was founded by royal decree in 
lo51. This was the first literary body organized in the New-World, 
and was indebted for its success to the persevering efforts of the 
Dominican friars, who supported it from the beginning. 

The building was erected in 1576. It contains the hall now used 
for the sittings of the Chamber of Deputies , which was formerly 
the chapel; the secretary's offices and archives of the Congress; a 
hall appropriated to the Medical Society; also a general hall for 
the University proceedings , and which is likewise used as a place 
of meeting for the College of Advocates. In this hall there are 92 low 
seats and 73 higher, besides two galleries, one of them for the ca- 
nons, the other for the ladies. Its architecture, though old, is sub- 
stantial and handsome. The upper part of the walls is entirely co- 
vered with portraits of former professors and rectors, among whom 
are some persons of distinguished literary merit. 

For some years past no lectures have been given in the University 
and the title of professor is purely honorary. 

At present, and in virtue of the last regulation of the Minister of 
Public Instruction, the University no longer holds the exclusive 
right of conferring degrees , which may now be obtained in the 
schools of Medicine and Law, 

In the days of its splendour, the University counted among its 
members men eminent in literature and science, and the examina- 



LIMA. 47 

tions for the degree of doctor were exceedingly severe. The rectors 
were also very scrupulous as to the personal qualities of the can- 
didates ; none but those of gentle birth and honourable conduct 
could aspire to a seat in that temple. The last but one of the Proto- 
medicos (1) of Peru, Dr. Don Jose Manuel Valdes, was pre-eminent 
in his day as a scientific physician and a mystical poet; but his great 
merits were not sufficient to induce the University to receive him 
into its bosom. He was obliged to visit Madrid and solicit from the 
king the permission which was refused to him in Peru, as a man 
of colour; and the king, after due inquiry, deigned to grant it. 
Dr. Valdfes was therefore the first coloured man who graduated in 
Lima. Since then similar honours have been obtained by men of 
darker hue and less brilliant talents. 

Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lima. — The old proto- 
medicato (university council), which underwent divers changes after 
its institution in 1370, was converted, by a supreme decree of the 
9tli September 1836, into a Faculty, composed of the professors of 
the School of Medicine, with a dean as president. 

The attributes of this Faculty consist in managing the School , in 
promoting the progress and extension of the medical sciences , in 
examining the students , who , after following the courses, wish to 
be received as physicians, surgeons, pharmaceutic chimists, den- 
tists, and phlebotomists , in delivering their respective diplomas, 
and in testing the acquirements of foreign physicians. 

The last protomedico and first dean of the Faculty was the eminent 
citizen Dr. D. Cayetano Heredia. Never did any man display greater 
zeal and self-denial in promoting the best interests of his profession. 
Having been a pupil of the School of Medicine, he devoted his 
whole life, and whatever fortune he possessed, to raising medical 
science in Peru to a height that should do honour to his country. 
Before Dr. Heredia assumed the direction of the Medical College, 
the students had received but very superficial instruction. He mo- 
dified the course of study, introduced the different branches of the 

(I) The 'protomedico was the president of the council of examiners^ and exercised 
certain judicial functions over the medical body. 



48 



LIMA. 



natural sciences, such as chemistry, and other accessories indis- 
pensable to the healing art. He formed a rich cabinet of natural 
history and of apparatus and machines for teaching physics ; he 
established a course of medical and surgical chnics — in short, he 
gave new life to scientific studies and opened for them a career of 
real and certain progress. 

Nor were these, though so great, all the services rendered to his 
country by Dr. Heredia. Each of the students was to him the object 
of most affectionate sohcitude. The intellectual capacity of a youth 
was an all-powerful recommendation to the heart of this eminent 
man, who paid, from his own purse, the college expenses of many 
a promising student , and supplied others with the means of im- 
proving themselves in Europe. Medicine in Peru is greatly in- 
debted to Dr. Heredia, and many physicians now flourishing owe 
all their success to his generous efforts. 

It is but just, however, to state that Dr. Heredia was assisted by 
the efficient cooperation of some of the professors , his colleagues, 
and of this number is the eminent Dr. Manuel Solari , one of the 
most learned and most illustrious foreign physicians who have 
practised in Peru. 

The death of Dr. Heredia was an event which caused deep sor- 
row throughout the Republic, and the students, as well as the phy- 
sicians for whom he had been at college a father, a master, and a 
rector, gave proofs of their affection and gratitude. The doctor's re- 
mains were carried on the shoulders of the students (a thing never 
before witnessed at Lima), from his residence to the church, and 
thence to the cemetery, followed by an immense concourse of 
people. Speeches were delivered over his grave, and abundant tears 
were shed, not like those which every death draws forth, but such 
as only flow from hearts oppressed by overwhelming grief. 

The tribute paid, in these pages, to the memory of Dr. Heredia 
also comes from the heart of a pupil who loved and admired him. 

School of Medicine. Founded, iu 1810, by the viceroy Abascal, 
under the name of Colegio de San Fernando, which was afterwards 
changed to that of Colegio de la Independencia , and to its present 



LIMA. 49 

Dame when the Faculty of Medicine was organized. It is governed 
by the dean,- and the members of the Faculty are the professors 
of the different branches included in the course of medical in- 
struction. 




Front view of the School of Medicine. 



The professorships of the Faculty can only be obtained by com- 
petition , and the trials of capacity to be undergone by candidates 
are : a written composition , an oral composition, and oral argu- 
mentation; the judges afterwards decide by ballot which of the 
competitors best deserves the chair. 

Illustrious College of Advocates. — Founded in 1808. Its chief 
functions consist in examining candidates for the bar. One of the 
members, who presides over the corporation, is the director of the 
practical conferences on jurisprudence. 

College of San Carlos. This college, lodged in the premises which 
were formerly the noviciate of the Jesuits, was founded in 1770, 
and the colleges of St. Martin and St. Philip were incorporated 
with it. 

The Faculties of philosophy and letters, of mathematics and of 
the natural sciences are established in this college. 

Each Faculty is composed of the rector, its titular professors, and 
the secretary. 



50 



LIMA. 



The course of philosophical and hterary studies extends o\er five 
years. 



College of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Founded, on the 7th Febru- 
ary 1841, on the premises of the old Tobacco Monopoly, in the Galle 
de la Chacarilla, and at first intended only for primary and secon- 
dary instruction; but in 1848 certain branches of jurisprudence 
were added to its curriculum. In 1855, the Government took charge 
of the college as a national establishment, and assigned it a re- 
venue; it has ever since been devoted to preparatory and secondary 
instruction. 

Ecclesiastical Seminary of Santo Toribio. This college was foun- 
ded in 1691 by Archbishop Santo Toribio, and occupied from that 
time premises situated in the street of the same name. 

In the course of 1859, it was transferred into a part of the con- 
vent of St. Francis, having its principal entrance in the Galle del Mi- 
iagro. The erection of the new building, convenient, well-planned, 
and spacious, cost 60,000 piastres, which sum had been saved for 




Collegian of San Carlos. 



LIMA. 51 

the purpose by the strict and persevering economy of the late Arch- 
bishop Luna-Pizarro. 




Costume of a Seminarist. 



This college is intended for the education of young men who de- 
vote themselves to the ecclesiastical career. 

Naval Military Institute. The Naval School, or College of Marine, 
was established in \ 794 by the viceroy Gil de Lemus. The School 
suffered much from repeated removals from one building to an- 
other, and by changes of organization, until it was re-established 
under its present name. 

Central Normal School. In order to render elementary instruction 
uniform, on the systems recently adopted, the Government decided 
to procure from Europe a director and professors for the Central 
Normal School to be established at Lima. The old Custom-house 
was selected for its seat, and 121,700 piastres were expended in 
adapting the buildings for their new destination. The school was 
opened on the 1st of June 1859. 

School of Arts and Trades. One of the tirst decrees issued by 



52 



LIMA. 




View of the gateway at the School ot Arts. 



General Don Jos6 de San Martin, whO;, though absorbed in the con- 
duct of the war against the Spaniards , did not neglect the political 
organization of Peru , made arrangements for establishing a school 
of arts and trades in each departmental capital. This provision, 




Exterior view of the court of tlae School of Arts. 



LIMA. 53 

after being repeated in several supreme decrees, was ultimately em- 
bodied in a law. 

The administration of Marshal Castilla engaged, as director of 
this important establishment, Senor Jarrier, who had founded and 
long conducted a school of the same kind in the capital of Chili. 

The buildings of the old Colegio Real , which had been occupied 
as barracks, were selected for the school, and adapted for its use 
under the skilful guidance of the director, so that Lima can now 
boast of an establishment which does honour to its progress. 

The school contains all kinds of machinery, tools, and apparatus 
for teaching the different branches of its programme; and, even be- 
fore opening the courses , certain castings were made there for the 
Government, such as had never before been executed at Lima. 

The school was solemnly inaugurated last year (1865). 

Besides these national institutions, there are also the Colleges of 
Santa Teresa and of Midwifery, which will be described among the 
charitable foundations. 

Public Library. This was the first establishment founded by the 
Independent Government in virtue of supreme decrees issued in 
August 1821 and February 1822. 

The Library at present consists of three rooms, one for reading, 
and the two others surrounded with bookcases containing more 
than thirty thousand volumes on all sorts of subjects. There is also 
a smaller room called the sala de deposito. 

Among the printed books there are some of great intrinsic im- 
portance, and others remarkable for their antiquity and rarity; also 
a few manuscripts, some of which are very curious. 

Public Museum. The museum of national antiquities and objects 
of natural history was founded by supreme decree in 1826, and, 
after several removals, is now installed in rooms adjoining the Li- 
brary. In a country so rich in natural products as Peru, the meagre- 
ness of this establishment is really astonishing, and gives but a very 
mean idea of the protection afforded to it by the Government. 

It contains 5,330 specimens of mineralogy, zoology, antiquities 
both Peruvian and foreign, curiosities or objects of art, a very small 



54 LIMA. 

number of which are really valuable. The articles connected with 
science are in the utmost disorder and confusion, no proper classi- 
fication having yet been made. 

Museum and Library of Artillery. Situated in one of the halls 
looking into the court of the artillery barracks. They were founded 
in 1854 by General Don Manuel de Mendiburu , and are kept in 
excellent order. 

The Museum contains about two hundred articles, among which 
are arms of all ages and of various constructions , some of them 
valuable for their antiquity or exquisite workmanship. 

The library consists of about fifteen hundred volumes. 

Medical Society. Organized in September 1864, and consisting of 
physicians associated for the purpose of promoting the progress of 
science. Its meetings are held in one of the halls of the University. 
It has an official organ called the Gaceta Medica, published at stated 
intervals. 

Cosmografiato. Instituted to promote the study of cosmography 
as preparatory to that of navigation , but it has hitherto existed in 
name only. The Chief Cosmographer's labours are confined to the 
compiling of the calendar and the Guia poUtica del Peru. 

Private Colleges and Schools. vOf these there are in Lima fhirty- 
two for boys, fifteen for girls, and twenty-three for both sexes. The 
number of their pupils is 4,716. 

Charitable Establishments. — Socieclad de Beneficencia. The first 
Junta de Beneficencia , charged with the guardianship and super- 
vision of the establishments founded by public charity for the relief 
of the sick and indigent, was created and organized in 1825. After 
undergoing many changes as to its organization and the number 
of members , it was definitively settled on the present basis in the 
year 1848. 

A permanent junta is formed of the persons yearly elected to fill 
certain offices, and of the majordomos and inspectors of the various 
charitable institutions; but the active management is entrusted 
solely to the last two categories of members. 

Hospital de San Andres. Founded in 1557 by the viceroy Don An- 



LIMA. 



dr6s Hurtado de Mendoza , in consequence of the representations 
of Don Francisco de Molina, who, as early as 1552, had begun to 
relieve a number of sick poor in a house which he hired for the 
purpose. 

This hospital now receives only male patients; it has twelve wards 
and can accommodate 600 persons. It is kept remarkably clean, 
and the service is performed by seventeen Sisters of Charity. The 
average number of inmates is about three hundred. 

Santa Ana. Devoted to females, and founded by Archbishop 
Loaiza in 1549. It is served by thirteen Sisters of Charity. There 
are twelve wards, capable of containing four hundred patients; but 
the average number is about two hundred and fifty. 

Refug^io. — Though the two hospitals for incurables are not un- 
der the management of the Junta de Beneficiencia that body ap- 
points an inspector for them because it pays for the small-pox pa- 
tients who go there to get cured. 

The hospital for men was founded in 1669 by Don Diego Cueto, 
who placed it under the care of the Bethlemite monks on their ar- 
rival in the capital. The women's hospital, which is near the other, 
was founded in 1804 by the viceroy Aviles. The leper-house, which 
formerly existed near the parish-church of San Lazaro, was incor- 
porated with these two in the year 1822. 

The men's hospital has two wards and can receive sixty patients. 
The women's is of precisely the same extent. The average number 
of inmates in the two houses is one hundred and ten. 

San Bartolome. This hospital is not supported by the Beneficen- 
cia. It was founded in 1646 by Father Vadillo for the reception of 
sick negroes , but is now exclusively devoted to the assistance of 
soldiers of the national army. It contains ten wards for privates and 
one for officers, and can accommodate three hundred patients in 
all. The service is performed by seven Sisters of Charity. The num- 
ber of inmates varies according to the strength of the forces sta- 
tioned at Lima. . 

College of Midwifery and Lying-in Hospital. Founded by a su- 
preme decree of the 10th October 1826 and organized by another 



56 LIMA. 

of the 12th May 1830. Every thing connected with obstetrics is 
taught here, and in the college there is a ward for the reception of 
women who have not the means of procuring professional assistance 
in childbirth. 

Hospital for deserted Infants. Founded in 1597 by Don Luiz de 
Ocheda, surnamed El Pecador. It has four wards : one for infants 
at the breast; another serves as an infirmary for children of above 
seven; the third is the dormitory for girls under two years; and the 
fourth is an infirmary for children of a similar age. 

This establishment is perfectly organized. To the honour of Lima 
it may be stated that the number of children deserted is exceed- 
ingly small as compared with the population, and that very few 
belong to the white race. 

Asylum for Widows of Decayed Tradesmen. This house was 
founded by Don Juan Ruiz Davila, but the Beneficencia took charge 
of it in 1848, and has been constantly adding to the number of 
rooms, which are assigned by lot to the persons presenting the con- 
ditions required by the foundation deeds. 

In this asylum a school has been opened to teach reading and 
sewing to the daughters of the women therein residing, and also to 
those of tradesmen in reduced circumstances. 

Asylum of Jesus Nazareno. Founded by Dr. Lorenzo Soria, who, 
on his decease, transferred the patronage to the Beneficencia. 

College of Santa Teresa. Under the title of Colegio de Santa Cruz 
de Atocha, Don Mateo Pastor and his wife founded, in 1569, an 
establishment for the maintenance and education of deserted orphan 
girls. It is confided to the care of six Sisters of Charity. 

Madhouse. Among the many good works which the Beneficencia 
has reahzed within the last few years, none is more important or 
more praiseworthy than the erection of this asylum for insane per- 
sons of either sex. 

The building has every requisite accommodation, as baths, laun- 
dries, gardens, etc. The management is entrusted to three Sisters 
of Charity. 

General Cemetery. Situated outside the Portada de Maravillas ; 




External view of the General Cemeiery 



1 




I 



LIMA. 



it was planned in 1807, and solemnly inaugurated in June 1808 
during the viceroyalty of Seilor Abascal. The direction of the works 
was confided to the priest Don Matias Maestro, a man of exemplary 
virtue and of very extensive acquirements. The Beneficencia has 
erected a modest monument to his memory. 



The General Cemetery is one of the most remarkable esta- 
blishments of the capital ; seen from within or without its aspect 
is very striking. The Beneficencia has realized great improvements. 
In all the quarters into which the interior is divided, pretty gardens 
have been planted and are kept in excellent order. Handsome 
tombs and sumptuous marble monuments inclose the remains of 
wealthy persons and of those who have held high office in the 
Republic, such as Generals Lamar, Gamarra , Salaverry, Neco- 
chea, etc. 

The altar occupying the centre of the chapel is a magnificent 
piece of marble executed by a master's hand. 

There are in Lima several other benevolent institutions founded 
by private individuals. The principal are : The Society of the Foun- 
ders of the Independence, the object of which is to assist its members 
in case of sickness or misfortune, to perform for them when dead 
all the offices due to the memory of a brother, by assuring to their 




Front view of the chapel in the General Cemetery. 



58 



LIMA. 



remains honourable sepulture and by publishing the most distin- 
guished acts of their military hfe. 

This society held its first meeting on the 28th September 1857. 
The victors of Junin, of Ayacucho, of the second siege of Callao, 
the veterans of the war of Independence , the chaplains and sur- 
geons who served in the armies of their country, are born members 
of this society; the sons of founders and of veterans are active 
members, and lastly, the children (of either sex) of born members 
are honorary members. 

The Typographical Mutual Benefit Society was founded on the 
5lh of April 1855, for the purpose of aiding those of its members 
who may be sick or destitute, and of providing them with a decent 
funeral in case of death. All persons employed in printing-offices 
may become members on paying the regular monthly subscription. 

The Congregation of the Handmaids of the Poor was organized 
on the 6th July 1856, with a view to relieving the most urgent 
wants , as to food , clothes , and medical treatment , of the really 
necessitous. Ladies of the highest families in Lima belong to this 
association. The active sisters are bound to render personal services 
and to perform the duties assigned to them. 

The Spanish Charitable Society was established through the exer- 
tions of a Spaniard , Don Francisco J. Moreno, and met for the 
first time on the 8th February 1857. Its object is to assist Spaniards 
when sick or in distress , to procure work for those who are desti- 
tute, or supply them with means to return to Spain. It nevertheless 
refuses to aid idle vagrants, persons of bad character, or those who 
have been condemned for crimes. 

The French Charitable Society, which has nearly the same objects 
as the preceding, was organized in Lima by several French gentle- 
men , under the presidentship of M. Edmond de Lesseps, consul- 
general and charg6 d'affaires of France. 

Military Dependencies. — Besides the inspections, garrison staffs, 
and military commands, there at Lima two military establishments 
deserving of particular notice — St. Catherine's Barracks and Fort, 
and the Gunpowder Manufactory. 



LTMA. 50 

S(. Catherine's Fort , which contains the head-quarters of the 
artillery, the military museum, the park and. workshops, was built 
in \ 806 under the direction of the Spanish sub-inspector of artillery, 
Don Joaquin de la Pezuela. 

The fort comprises the magazines and military offices , the ar- 
mories, depots of ammunition, lodgings for the officers and sleep- 
ing-rooms for the soldiers. 

The Powder Manufactory was built in the first years of the pre- 
sent century by two private speculators, who began to make powder 
in 1807, and afterwards supplied nearly all South America and even 
exported to Spain. In 1826 the Government purchased the esta- 
blishment and placed it under the dependence of the Corps of Ar- 
tillery. 

The machinery it now employs was obtained from Europe in 
1856, at a cost of 90,800 piastres; and for its proper instalment 
alterations had to be made in the building which entailed an outlay 
of 130,000 piastres. 



PART lY. 



OTHER EDIFICES, PRIVATE ElNTERPRISES, PRODUCTIONS, 
COiMMERCE AND INDUSTRY. 

General Slaiig:hter-house. — This building, situated a few paces 
outside the Pot'tada de Monserrat, was erected in 1835 by Don Pedro 
Conroy, in pursuance of a contract between him and the Govern- 
ment. When the works were finished, Conroy ceded the whole, as 
well as the rights conferred by his contract, to the State, for the 
sum of 320,000 piastres. The establishment, having thus become 
national property, was placed under the immediate management 
of the municipality, but its proceeds are paid into the General Trea- 
sury. 

The edifice, though not in the first class of its kind, affords every 
convenience for the slaughter of sheep and horned cattle. 

On an average, the yearly consumption of Lima amounts to 
20,390 oxen and 83,330 sheep. 

Markets. — The only one worthy of the name is that built, by 
order of the Government, in 1831, in a part of the convent of the 
Conception. It cost 244^930 piastres. 

This market is attended every day by about one thousand and 
fifty dealers. 

Provisions and comestibles are in general abundant and diversi- 
fied, with the exception of poultry, of which the supply is very li- 



62 LIMA. 

mited in kind. Only fowls and turkeys are always obtainable; there 
are but few ducks and pigeons^ sometimes turtle-doves, very rarely 
partridges. 

Although many kinds of fish are daily brought from Callao and 
Cliorrillos, not more than three or four species are good for much. 
The corhina pequena (a kind of umber) is the best of them; for 
some reason unknown, the delicious peje-rey (king-fish) has totally 
disappeared from the coast for several years past. 

Pulse and vegetables are abundant and of good quality. The mar- 
ket is supplied from the gardens of the town, or by the Indians of 
the neighbouring valleys, and the villagers on the coast and in the 
mountains. 

The kinds of meat found in greatest abundance are beef, mutton, 
and pork. Kids may be obtained in the environs, but not many arc 
brought to market. Rabbits are seldom seen, still less frequently ve- 
nison, though game is tolerably abundant in the neighbouring val- 
leys. 

Railways. — Lima has two railways, one running to Callao, the 
other to the village of Cliorrillos. 

The first was made in virtue of a contract concluded by the Go- 
vernment with Don Pedro Candamo, who obtained a privilege for 
ninety years, at the expiration of w hich the railway and all the roll- 
ing-stock will belong to the Government. On this line the service 
is very irregular; the managers, in announcing the time of depar- 
ture and arrival of trains, always add the words or thereabouts, in 
virtue of which they sometimes keep travellers . waiting whole 
hours. 

The railway from Lima to Cliorrillos was constructed by a com- 
pany under a concession from the Government, It afterwards passed 
into the hands of Senor Candamo above-mentioned, who has since 
sold his interest in both lines to an English company. 

Electric Telegraph. — A line was established between Lima and 
Callao by a private speculator under a concession granted by the 
Government. It began to work on the 23rd of April 1857. 

Hackney Carriages, — There is a stand of coaches plying for 




D. p. G. CANDAMO. 

First Introducer of railways into soiith America 



LIMA. g3 

hire in the Plaza Mayor at all hours of the day. The number licen- 
sed is ninety-six. This useful improvement was introduced in 1838. 

Natural Productions of Lima. — It would be a long task to enu- 
merate all the plants raised within the walls of Lima, The ferti- 
lity of the gardens and of the soil generally is such that almost any- 
thing may be successfully cultivated which does not require either 
a very cold temperature or a low atmospheric pressure. There are 
indeed but very few plants imported from Europe which an intel- 
ligent gardener cannot easily rear on this productive soil. 

Among the rarer kinds of flowers, we see in the gardens of Lima 
an immense variety of camellias, magnolias, ranunculuses, anemo- 
nes, pinks, and carnations, rich in colour and fragrance; roses of 
all sorts, lilies, nards, narcissuses, jasmines, especially the Cape jas- 
mine (a tropical flower of most agreeable odour, somewhat resem- 
bleng the camellia by its pure white and the size of its petals), violets, 
diamelas ralknas , tulips, and many other flowers both indigenous 
and exotic. 

Among the principal vegetables grown in Lima are : cabbages , 
lettuces of many kinds, carrots, turnips, onions, tomatos, parsley, 
chicory, artichokes, cauliflowers, etc. 

The fruits comprise all those of the torrid and temperate zones, 
the principal being : the famous chiriniolla (1), various kinds of 
nlalano, the granadilla, the apple, grapes of divers qualities, the 
fragrant palillo, the palta, the lacuma, the peach, the sweet orange, 
the sweet and bitter lemon, the cherry, the fig, the plum, the straw- 
berry, the pine-apple (considered by many the king of fruits), the 
medlar, quince , melon , water-melon , and many others not less 
esteemed. 

As for tame animals, there are the horse, the ass, the dog, the 
cat, the rabbit, the guinea-pig, the sheep, the hog, and the goat. 

Of the feathered race, there are : the turkey, the peacock, the 
hen, the duck, the goose, the pigeon, the canary, the linnet , and 
the cuckoo. 

(d) A splendid fruit having tiie external appearance of a green velvet purse, and 
containing a white milk of exquisite flavour. 



04 LIMA. 

Many other animals, both wild and tame, are brought from the 
coast, the mountains, or abroad, but do not breed there. 

At Lima there are few venomous insects or reptiles; it is a very 
rare occurrence to find in well-kept houses either scorpions, centi- 
pedes, or snakes. 

Of the vermin class, rats and mice are exceedingly numerous. 

As to noisome insects there are , in certain seasons , plenty of 
mosquitoes, flies, fleas, bugs, and, in places where proper attention 
is not paid to cleanliness, chigoes or jiggers. 

Commerce and Manufactures. — The capital receives merchan- 
dise from nearly all the commercial nations of the world , the im- 
porters generally being Europeans. The exports of Peruvian pro- 
duce are very trifling, but the yearly increase of the imports is con- 
siderable. 

The" capital likewise trades with all the towns of the Republic by 
sea and land, principally in common woollen tissues, fruits, and 
other eatables. 

Of the European Slates with which Lima entertains commercial 
relations, those importing on the largest scale are England and 
France. The former does the most extensive business in woollen, 
cotton, and linen goods; the latter in silks, millinery, perfumery, 
and jewellery. 

A careful examination of official documents relative to 1860 
shows the value of" imports during that year to have been : from 
Chili, 1,547,402 piastres; from Ecuador, 42,192; from France, 
'3,199,899; from England, 2,852,218; from North America, 
280,489; from Panama, 891,000; from Germany, 751,867; and 
450,000 from other countries. 

As to the various kinds of merchandise thus imported , cotton 
goods amounted to 1,347,900 piastres; woollen, to 1,200,000; 
linen to 192,804; silk to 984,786; ready-made clothes to 794,678; 
drugs and chemicals, to 84,751 ; ironmongery and hardware to 
392,654; furniture to 242,710; wines and liqueurs to 71,816; pro- 
visions to 1,349,799; sundries to 2,755,109. 

From the 10,015,057 piastres, the total value of these imports, 



LIMA. 65 

must be deducted 829,467 piastres, the value of articles re-exported; 
so that the actual consumption reaches the sum of 9,187,590 
piastres. It was 6,041,293 piastres in 1852, and 7,887,650 in 




View of the Port of Callao, from behind the fortress. 



1857; from these figures the average annual increase is found to 
be 349,485 piastres. 

The principal port of Peru, the nearest to Lima, is Callao, where, 
of course, the greater part of the foreign trade is transacted. 




Front view of the Callao Customhouse. 



The fine bay, being completely sheltered from the winds which 
assail all the other ports on the Pacific, affords the most perfect se- 
curity to all kinds of shipping. It is true that the landing-quay for 

5 



(if) 



LIMA. 



merchandise is not so convenient as might be wished, but we learn 
that the Government has lately signed a contract for making a new 
one which will be accessible for ships of the largest size. 

The building now used as a customhouse at Callao is the old 
castle of the Independence, which has been almost entirely dis- 
mantled and has undergone many other changes to adapt it for the 
present purpose. 

As the products of Peru , which were formerly bars of silver, in 
addition to large quantities of hides, wool, saltpetre, cinchona, and 
minerals, no longer suffice to balance her imports, the greater part 
of the return cargoes consist of guano, of which there are immense 
deposits all along the coast of Peru and especially on the Chincha 
Islands, The enormous sums which these islands, the only parts 
hitherto worked, have produced since 1844, constitute nearly the 
whole revenue on which Peru relies to meet her expenditure. 




View of the Chincha Islands. 



The high price of labour at Lima has prevented that capital from 
making any progress in manufactures. Several attempts made by 
adventurous speculators have proved, by their unfortunate results, 
that it is impossible for goods manufactured in the country to bear 
competition with those of the same kind imported from abroad. 
A glass-house and two manufactories for silk and linen tissues 
were started and kept at work long enough to prove that they could 



LIMA. 67 

not possibly yield a profit. Providence has, nevertheless, endowed 
the Peruvians with considerable artistic talents, a fact demonstrated 
by the sculptures, paintings, and tissues executed even in the moun- 
tain disti'icts, where genius is often discovered in spite of the want 
of scholastic or other instruction. 

The tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, and other artisans of Lima 
work with as much skill and taste as those of Europe, though they 
cannot practise their craft on a large scale, because of the impossi- 
bility of bringing down their prices so low as those of similar articles 
manufactured abroad. 

Among the new- arts which have attained the greatest perfection 
at Lima, photography holds a prominent place. There can be no 
doubt that the artists there produce proofs every way as perfect as 
those of the most advanced countries. This may be in some degree 
due to the powerful auxiliaries of the pure sky and bright sun pe- 
culiar to tropical climates. The engravings and lithographs in the 
present work were copied from photographs taken by MM. Maunoury 
and Courret brothers, of Lima. 

Printing is one of the industrial arts which have made most pro- 
gress in the last twenty years. For a longtime, the printing-office of 
Don Jose Marias, established in 1817, was the best in Peru; but in 
1839 a formidable rival arose in the office of the Comercio, which 
was organized in a superior manner. In 1852 the office of the He- 
raldo was founded, and executed its work in the best modern style. 
In 1860 another was set up for printing the Mercurio, and this last 
has certainly become the foremost in all South-America for its orga- 
nization, as also for the excellence and extent of its founts and the 
perfection of its machinery. 

The building occupied by this office is large and divided into three 
portions : the first contains the editor's rooms , those of the di- 
rector, etc.; the second is a spacious hall, surrounded by an up- 
per gallery, the whole forming an admirable composing-room, with 
frames and cases for sixty compositors. The third part is occupied 
by the presses for the journals and other work, by the steam-engine 
which drives them, the wetting-rooms, etc. 



(38 



LIMA. 




Composing'-room . 



This office became tlie property of tlie Government in 1865. After 
this estabhshment comes that of Huerta and Co., remarkable for 
superior workmanship, and in tlie third place, the Imprenta Liberal. 




Part ol the upper gallery. 




Outside view of Uie Mercuno Printing-office 



PART V. 



PLACES OF PUBLIC AMUSEMENT, WORKS OF ART, 
AND WALKS. 

The Lima . Theatre was founded in 1601, and was the property of 
St. Andrew's Hospital. Since that time, several edifices have been 
successively erected for dramatic performances, as the first fell to 
ruin. The present building dates from 1660. It will hold fifteen 
hundred persons. 




Front -view of the Lima Theatre. 



The ^Jeneficencia used to manage the theatre as being the property 
of one of the hospitals confided to its care. In 1852, however, the 
Government undertook the charge on its own account , giving the 
hospital other property in exchange. Since then , the theatre has 



70 LIMA. 

been transferred to the municipality. As a building, it is altogether 
unworthy of a civilized nation. 

Plaza de Acho. — This vast circus, intended for bull-fights, was 
constructed in 1768 by Don Agustin Hipolito Landazuri. It is the 




View of the Plaza de Acho on a fight-day. 



finest in the world, being of much greater area than the circus of 
Pampeluna, which is the largest in Spain. It will accommodate nine 
thousand spectators. 

In pursuance of the stipulations of the contract under which 
Landazuri built this circus, it has now become the property of an 
hospital under the management of the Beneficencia. 

VA Paseo de los Descakos is a public walk, situated ou the other 
side of the bridge. It was originally an avenue of trees planted in 
1611 J but these were cut down in 1856 in order to make a pro- 
menade on a new and more beautiful plan. 

Its area is 60,623 square varas. In the middle there is a long 
avenue nineteen varas in width enclosed by iron palisading brought 
from Europe. At one extremity of this garden, there is a basin with 
a very lofty jet of water. 

Across the end of this enclosure and throughout its whole length 
are beds about three varas in width covered with flowering plants and 
shrubs which greatly enhance the attractions of the place. By the 
side of these plantations are a hundred iron urns on pedestals 



Tlie Aclio Promen^ide 




Sialiie of Columtus 



LIMA. 7i 

of the same metal, about two varas in height. There are also 
twelve gas-lamps. The internal ornamentation of the avenue is com- 
pleted by twelve colossal marble statues representing the signs of the 
zodiac resting on plinths of a beautiful stone sculptured on the spot. 

Outside the palisades is a wide road for carriages and horses, 
planted with rows of willows. On the right, stands a graceful pavi- 




Front view of Promenade of the Descalzos. 



lion surrounded with verdure , where, on certain festivals, a band 
of music plays in public. This promenade has cost 119,047 piastres 
7 reales. 

La Alameda Nueva 6 del Aelio, made in 1773, is a another pro- 
menade, with three alleys : the middle one intended for persons in 
carriages or on horseback, the two lateral ones for people on foot; it 
is 316 varas in length from the entrance to the Plazoleta del Acho, 
in the middle of which stands a beautiful statue of Christopher Co- 
lumbus. 

This statue , or group , to speak more correctly, represents the 
navigator raising the veil which covered the face of a beautiful In- 



72 LIMA. 

dian female symbolizing America. It is marble and exquisitely sculp- 
tured. The artist was Salvatore Revelli,who received 4,300 piastres 
for it. The pedestal and bas-reliefs are by Giuseppe Palombini, and 
cost 3,000 piastres. 

Exclusive of the freight from Europe to Callao, the outlay for 
the group, as it now stands, amounted to 9,953 piastres 5 reales. 

Alameda del Callao. — This walk, made in 1797, is now in a 
very bad state; its trees have been neglected , its paths broken up, 
through being frequently flooded by the overflowing of the water- 
courses. There are two rows of willow trees, the right hand one 
containing 1451, and the left 1,108. 

Equestrian Statue of Bolivar. — In 1858, the 8th of December, 
the anniversary of the famous battle of Ayacucho, which for ever 
secured the independence of Peru , witnessed the unveiling , in the 
presence of the whole people, of the splendid bronze statue erected 
by a grateful nation to General Simon Bolivar, one of the men who 
did most to secure American independence. 

The statue stands in the Plaza de la Conslitucion , and the metal 
composing it is the same as that of the celebrated statue of Ba- 
varia at Munich. The weight of Bolivar's statue is 238 quintales 
(nearly 11 tons), and its height, from the horse's hoofs to the rider's 
head, 5 varas (13 feet 9 inches English). 

The horse is rearing, and consequently supported only by his 
hind legs and tail. Bolivar is represented hat in hand, in the act of 
saluting. He wears a cloak, but so artistically disposed as to leave 
visible his military uniform. 

The statue stands on a beautiful marble pedestal with three broad 
steps. On -the sides are bas-reliefs representing , to the right , the 
battle of Ayacucho, to the left, that of Junin. There are two other 
bronze reliefs, the one in front bearing the following inscription in 
large letters : 

A SIMON BOLIVAR 
LIBERTADOR 
LA NACION PERUANA 
ANO MDCCCLVIII 




Statue of Bolivar 



LIMA. 73 

The other, on the opposite side, presents tlie national arms. 

The statue and its erection cost more than 22,000 piastres. 

El Paseo de Aguas (the Water Promenade). This pubhc walk 
was projected by the Viceroy Amat, but left unfinished, and its de- 
corations in masonry are now little better than ruins. 




View of the Paseo de Acfiias. 



PART VI. 



OUTLINES AND SKETCHES. 

How many colours I 

We have somewhere read, but cannot say whether in print or 
manuscript, that " a field totally covered with white flowers would 




Indian before the Conquest. 



present the same aspect from all points of view; that sameness is 
monotony; that monotony wearies the senses; that what wearies 



7fi 



LIMA. 



the senses is disagreeable, and thai consequently a field totally co- 
vered with..." The reader may, if he pleases, complete the infe- 
rence. 

If the hypothesis of the field can be applied to populations, that 
of Lima must necessarily by pleasing, for it is not composed of 
whites only, and therefore is not uniform, or monotonous, or 
wearying to the senses. 

Every body knows that the inhabitants of Peru, before it had the 
honour to he conquered, consisted of one race, the Indian, or as the 




Indian since the Conquest (1). 



learned say, the yellow race. The conquerors were whites, and the 
yellow-white, that is, the mixed offspring of the conqueror and the 
conquered, received the designation oi mestizos. 

Those who introduced Catholicism into Peru also introduced a friar 

(1) Our engraving is an exact copy of a photograph taken from life at Lima. The 
original is still living. From his countenance, a perfect type of the Indian, and his 
bearing, it is easy to form an idea of the kind of civilization which three centuries of 
Spanish rule have imposed on the aboriginals of Peru.- 



mDlAN MULETEER 




INDIAN WOMAN OF THE MOUNTAIN 



LIMA. 77 

Valverde and an inquisition ; tliose who brought us civiHzation at a 
later date estabhshed slavery, and to speak only of Lima, they im- 
ported an immense number of negroes from Africa on whom they 
also pretended to confer the benefits of civilization and religion, by 
deceiving and hunting them like ^^^\d beasts to deprive them of li- 
berty for life. 

From these three colours, types of three different races, pro- 
ceeded the following combinations : from the white and the yellow 
(as already stated) th.e?7iesti:o; from the mestizo and the yellow, the 
white; from the black and the yellow (not the green of the painter's 
pallet, but) what at Lima is called chino-cholo ; from this last and 




China-Chola. 



the negro, the chirio- [yrieto ; from this and the white the chino- 
claro; from the while and the negro, the zambo; from this and the 
white, the mulatto; whose union with the white produces the cuar- 
teron; from this last and the white, comes quinteron, whose off- 
spring when married to a white person, is white. 

The population of Lima therefore presents , in its component 



78 



LIMA. 



parts , a regular gradation of tints from the deepest and glossiest 
black to the purest white, and from this last to yellow, so that there 
can scarcely be any thing like monotony. Since the importation of 
African negroes ceased, that is, since 1793, the number of pure 




Negro of llie pure slock. 

blacks has greatly fallen off, and the African race has become so 
scarce as to be represented only here and there by some ^ery old 
negro. 

The negroes at Lima were employed in all kinds of laborious and 
menial occupations : they were field-labourers, water-carriers, dri- 
vers of calesas [l),ha.yv]ievs of fruit, sweetmeats, (maize-flour 
pastry), hmnitas (spiced cakes of maize-flour), etc. The African negro, 
called hozal , on account of his awkwardness, was the most sub- 
missive, faithful, and humble servant that can be imagined ; though 

(1) The old calesa (calash) of Lima was very different from the carriages now used 
there, being much hke an old-fashioned English post-chaise , without a box for the 
driver, as will be seen by the accompanying engraving. 



ZAMBA OF LIMA 




l^EGRO WATER- CARRIER 



LIMA 



79 



treated rather as a wild beast that a rational being, he would en- 
dure the most cruel chastisement with the resignation of a mar- 
tyr. When the negroes arrived at Lima, the first thought of their 
new masters was to get them baptized and made catholics. All of 
them soon became fervent adorers of the Virgin del Carmen or del 
Rosario, and assembled, according to their castes, in brotherhoods 
to deliberate on matters connected with their public worship or on 
other important business. As these meetings of the negroes exhibit 




The iiM LiiTia ml/'xa. 



many peculiar features, we will here introduce a description of 
them, which we have published in another work (1). 

" The principal castes of negroes who serve us are ten in number: 
the Terranovos , Lucwnes , Mandingas , Camhandas , Carabalies , 
Cangaes, Chalas, Huarochiries, Congos^ and 3Iisanga.s. These names 
are not all derived from the country from which each caste origi- 
nally came : some are purely arbitrary, as Huarochiries , others are 
taken from the name of the place where they first staid after land- 
ing, as Terranovos for instance. All these castes are subject to co- 
porales-mayores (corporal-majors) whom they themselves elect, and 
who hold office for life. The elections lake place in the chapel of 
Our Lady of the Rosary, founded and maintained by the blacks in 



{{) statistics of Lima, d8o8. 



80 



LIMA. 



the great Dominican convent. The negroes who take part in the 
vote are the foremen and Yeinticnatros (twenty-four) (1) of each caste 
(we would call them Senators, did we not fear to degrade the name). 
These voters proceed to the election, in the presence of the Father- 
Chaplain of the confraternity, and their choice always falls on the 
oldest amongst them who are descendants of the founders. The 
name of the individual elected is then entered in a book kept for 
the purpose, and all this is effected without any intervention of the 
public authorities. 

" The same formalities are observed when a subaltern corporal, 
or one of the veinticuatros is named for each caste in particular; but 
these on their admission pay as a contribution, the corporal ten pias- 
tres, and the brother twelve. One moiety of this money goes to- 
wards the maintenance of the chapel, the other pays for the refresh- 
ments which are given to the electors, whose decisions are in- 
scribed in the register above-mentioned. 

" These dignities give their possessor great consideration among 
the persons of his tribe ; but as regards his slavery and his labour, 
they are absolutely null, and procure him no relief whatever. It 
is really a subject for laughter, or rather for compassion, to seethe 
whilom sovereign of an African nation sent with his subjects to 
mow-grass at two o'clock in the morning , and sometimes receive 
from their hands a number of lashes by order of the manager. Oiie 
of our fiiends, when at the farm of a few days since, saw a 
negro with his head in the cepo (2), and, having asked his name, 
could not refrain from tears, on hearing the answer : « He is the 
king of the Congos; » for the kingly name, which we have learned 
to venerate from our infancy, commands almost sacred respect and 
awe, even when applied in irony or jest. 

" All the castes above-mentioned defray the expenses of the 
worship of our Lady of the Rosary by an annual contribution of 
half a real per head, which is paid on the Sunday after Corpus 
Christi at a table placed for the purpose in the Plazuela de Santo 

(1) Twenly-four, a name given to the brethren of some confraternities. 

(2) Ce-po, a kind of stoclcs for confining either the head or feet of offenders. 



Irjip Lcmr.rcicr k G" r Jr. 8cinf. 67 farls 

MULATRESS OF LIMA. 



/ 




LIMA. 



81 



Domingo, and there is no tradition of a larger sum having been 
ever otfered. But of the total receipts, a sufticient portion is taken 
to celebrate the annual festival of the holy image, and the rest is 
devoted to the general purposes of the chapel. 

''The expense of funerals is met in the same manner : each fa- 
mily subscribes six reales, and the sum thus collected pays for the 
masses and the responses for the dead. The corporal-majors re- 
ceive the remainder, if there be any, and divide it among the 
subaltern corporals and brethren, who are subordinate in all things 
to the decisions of the said majors. 

" Formerly, the Terranovos and Lacumis devoted themselves to 
the image of the Holy Saviour, in the convent of our Lady of 
Mercy. This devotion is now followed by the Congo negroes, whose 
brotherhood is established in the plantain-grove of St. Francis de 
Paula, with no other resources than alms voluntarily collected 
among themselves. 

" The Mandingas also had a chapel in the church of the great 
Franciscan convent, dedicated to the Virgin, under the name of our 
Lady o!f the Kings. It is now ruined, as are also the other brother- 
hoods established in the churches of Sun Sebastian, Monserrat, the 
chapel del Baratillo, and another small chapel near the bridge. The 
negro and mulatto teamsters have a brotherhood at the church of 
San Agustin for the worship of St. Nicholas. The majority of them 
are Creoles (born in Peru) ; they elect their majordomo with the 
intervention of the authorities, though they have no funds for the 
maintenance of the brotherhood but their own voluntary contribu- 
tions. 

"The festival which they solemnize with most pomp is the 
Sunday after Corpus Christi. All the tribes assemble on that day 
for the procession, which starts from the great Dominican convent. 
Each carries its banner and parasol, under which walks the king or 
the queen, with a sceptre in the right hand and a staff or some 
other instrument in the left. 

"All the rest of the nation follow, playing on noisy instruments, 
the majority of which make a terrible uproar. The attendant sub- 



82 



LIMA. 




jects, who precede the kings, are dressed in every variety of fright- 
ful costume. Some appear us demons, or stuck all over with feathers; 
others are wrapped in skins to imitate bears; and others again are 
got up as monsters with horns, hawk's feathers, and serpent's tails. 
All are armed with bows and arrows, clubs, and bucklers; they paint 
their faces red or blue, according to the usage of their countries, 
and follow the procession uttering savage yells, and making mena- 
cing gestures, as if about to attack an enemy. The seriousness and 
ferocious enthusiasm which they display in these scenes, may give 
some idea of the barbarity with which they carried on their wars. 
This outrageous mummery, which might very well suit a carnival 
masquerade, appears altogether unbecoming in a religious ceremo- 
nial, and still more in a procession, where the least impropriety 
profanes the dignity of the sacred act, and banishes every feeling of 
devotion in the spectators. Perhaps our children will witness the 
reform of these abuses and others of a like nature, which we hear- 
tily desire to see at once suppressed. The authorities have already 
wisely forbidden the negroes to discharge fire-arms during the pro- 
cessions, as was the custom formerly. 




3.iifliole eLBocquin Ulli 



la)p LeiTiercief C'^i de Seme Sy J'di'ii 



LIMA. 83 

" All the juntas or assemblies here enumerated begin under the 
cover of religion to end in others having amusement for their only 
object. In several streets of the capital the negroes of whom we 
speak have houses or lodges (sixteen in number, and called cofra- 
dias) which are their rallying points on festival days. Each tribe 
has the sole use of one of these places for its meetings, and some 
of the more numerous have two or three. With money collected 
from among themselves, they buy ground to build these lodges, 
and have only to pay a very trifling tax for them. 

" The corporal of each caste or nation is the president of the 
junta, and enforces the strictest etiquette as to seats, which are all 
classed according to seniority. The Bozales negroes, though patient 
under the rudest field labour, almost inditTerent as to the quality 
of their food, little affected by severe chastisement, and wonder- 
fully intrepid when in danger of the knife or the gallows, cannot 
endure any injustice or neglect in matters of precedence. To be 
seated an inch higher or lower will give them the utmost pleasure 
or deepest chagrin. From the existence of these contrasts, it would 
seem as if prejudice disputes the preponderance with nature and 
very 1 often proves the stronger. Here are men who will patiently 
endure hunger and privations, sleep soundly on hard planks , re- 
nounce without a pang all the joys and consolations to be found in 
civilized society, and yet who tremble with rage, bewail their lot, 
and think themselves the most miserable of mortals, if on some 
trifling occasion they happen to get placed on the left instead of on 
the right; if any one mentions their name without a complimentary 
epithet , or if in writing it , the letters of which it is composed are 
not arranged in the wonted order. This kind of mania is found in 
the very lowest ranks of those whom fortune has devoted to humi- 
liation , hopeless endurance, and all the sternest realities of life. 
Men who labour under this weakness should feel ashamed thus to 
find themselves on a level with the Bozales negroes and exposed to 
the same ridicule. 

" The meetings in question begin about two in the afternoon. 
The first hour is employed in deliberating on matters connected 



9 



84 LIMA. 

with the interests of their nation, taking account of the contribu- 
tions, in setthng disputes between husbands and wives , etc. The 
corporals explain what use they have made of the money entrusted 
to them, and make proposals as to the employment of the balance 
in hand. One of the most interesting features which these sittings 
present for the philosophic observer is the perfect gravity with 
which the chiefs and their subordinates express their opinions, - 
listen, and obey. Man has no true sense of his dignity until social 
bonds and intercourse enable him to compare himself with his 
fellow-men. Then he begins to form his character, to respect him- 
self, and to have a higher conception of his being than he had enter- 
tained while he lived in the midst of wild animals in the solitudes 
of mountains and forests. 

" How wonderful also is the rapidity with which negroes pass 
from one extreme of stern sedateness to another of brawhng, dis- 
order, and extravagance! When their business has been transacted, 
they begin to dance, and keep on till seven or eight in the evening. 
On all the walls of these lodges, especially inside, are rude paint- 
ings representing their imaginary kings, their battles, and carou- 
sals. The view of these extravagant pictures excites and delights 
them. The observation has often been made that the feasts they 
celebrate away from their lodges and far from their paintings are 
cold, dull, and soon over. Their balls indeed are not very attractive, 
even when they do not offend our notions of decency. When a 
negro dances alone, which is most usual, he jumps about wildly in 
all directions , turns violently this way and that , never looking 
where he is going. All the dancer's skill consists in displaying great 
vigour of limb and in making the inflections of his body correspond 
with the cadence of the tune sung by the persons forming the circle. 
If two or four dance at the same time^ the men first place them- 
selves opposite their partners, making a few ridiculous contorsions 
and singing; then they turn sideways, gradually separating; at last 
they swing round to the right , all together, and then hastily ap- 
proach each other face to face. The shock which results from their 
collision appears anything but pleasant to persons who believe that 



LIMA. 



85 



the Bozales suffer as much from such violence as white people 
would. This simple and rude exercise constitutes all their recrea- 
tion ; their dance has no rules or figures except those inspired by 
the caprice of the moment. But they doubtless amuse themselves, 
and when the holiday is over, their impressions disappear with it. 
It would be a great blessing if the more complicated French, 
English , and German dances were never attended with any worse 
consequences than weariness and loss of time! Unfortunately they 
are, but too often, the pretext for amorous intrigues and cause no 
little scandal. 

" We have already remarked that the music of the Bozales is 
extremely disagreeable. The drum is their principal instrument; 
the commonest sorts are made of a jar or a hollow wooden cylinder, 
and are not beaten with sticks but struck with the hands. 

They have also small flutes into which they blow with the nos- 
trils. They likewise produce a kind of musical sound by striking 
the dried jawbone of a horse or of an ass, having moveable teeth ; 
they obtain a similar result by rubbing one piece of smooth wood 




against another with notches on the surface. One of their instru- 
ments called the marimba, has some pretensions to melody. It 
consists of several thin, long, and narrow slips of wood, fasten- 
ed, by means of a wooden hoop, across the open end of a dry and 
empty calabash. It is played upon with short sticks like the old 



86 



LIMA. 



Bohemian psaltery. As the diameter of the calabash gradually de- 
creases from the large end, this instrument has a variety of notes 
which are sometimes not altogether unpleasing even to delicate 
ears. After all, we are obliged to confess that, with regard to music, 
dancing, and many other matters depending on talent and taste, 
the negroes are as far inferior to the Indians as the latter are to the 
Spaniards. 

" When a corporal, one of the twenty-four, or a wife of either 
happens to die, the tribe assembles at its usual place of meeting, 
and holds a wake over the corpse. The character of this service is 
an indisputable proof that the Bozal has not changed his nature in 
coming to another country, for he retains in our midst, as long as 
he lives, his original superstition and idolatry. It is easy to suppose 
that he cannot love a country in which he leads such a wretched 
existence. How should he not abhor everything which contributes to 
enslave him? How should the poor creature raise his mind to the 
contemplation of our sublime mysteries , while his eyes and heart 
are ever turned earthwards and he seldom succeeds in learning to 
understand our language? The chamber of the dead is lighted by 
four tallow candles ; the children of the deceased sit at the foot of the 
coffin ; the relatives stand on each side, and occasionally speak to 
the corpse. The friends of the family dance and jump around, stop- 
ping occasionally to murmur a short prayer in their native tongue, 
according to the usages of their forefathers. Each attendant gives 
half a real towards the expense of the funeral and to buy drink, 
most frequently guarapo (1), but sometimes brandy. Before the 
drinking begins, a full cup is held near the mouth of the deceased, 
and a few words are spoken , as if entreating him to drink. When 
he is supposed to have acceded to this request, the cup is passed to 
the nearest relatives, scrupulously observing the different degrees 
of precedence in every case. After drinking freely, singing and 
dancing terminate the ceremonial which began with tears and 
lamentations. 



(1) Guarapo, a fermented beverage made from the residue of the sugar-cane. 



LIMA. 87 

" When the widow of a man who has attained the distinction of 
being a corporal of liis tribe wishes to take a second husband , she 
must declare before the assembly how dearly she loved her tirst 
husband and how she has duly mourned his loss. On the day 
which they call gidtalulo (last of mourning), they carry her on a 
seat formed of their joined hands from her home to the lodge of 
the brotherhood ; she enters in tears, and if she does not act satis- 
factorily the part of a mourner, she is exposed to be flogged with a 
whip for her hard-heartedness. The moment she crosses the thresh- 
old, a lamb is killed on one of the earthen seats of the room as a 
sacrifice to the manes of the deceased, to whose memory the new 
bride is about to bid adieu. The woman then presents, on a silver 
salver, the shoes which she has worn out during her widowhood. 
After these ceremonies, the civil marriage is celebrated, and all the 
brethren pay their respects to the happy couple by offering them 
liquors and viands of all sorts. 

" When a widower remarries, none of these conditions are ob- 
served. The Bozaks say that, it is foolish for a man to distress him- 
self about the death of a wife, as there are always a hundred ready to 
take her place. If there be anything which proves the degraded state 
of these unhappy Africans, it is the adoption of this abominable 
maxim. Just and sensible men think very differently. Among us 
there are some who believe that the long life of an antediluvian 
patriarch would be insufficient to lament the loss of a good wife." 

The Bozal negro soon learned to- do any kind of work, and might 
be employed for any purpose except doing errands. The negro 
would be sure to deliver a message differing from that with which 
he was charged, if not absolutely contrary to it. The Bozales could 
never learn to speak the Spanish language with even tolerable ac- 
curacy. 

The decrease in the number of blacks and the total abolition of 
slavery in 1855 induced certain speculators to give greater exten- 
sion to the importation of Chinese coolies intended for domestic 
service and agricultural labour. Some time previously a number of 
European labourers had been introduced, but the result was by 



88 



LIMA. 



no means satisfactory. The Chinese however answered the purpose 
of the importers, who demanded 350 piastres for each subject of 
the Celestial Empire, but the latter did not altogether replace the 
African negroes. They are certainly more intelligent and fit for any 
kind of work, but they are not so healthy nor so fit for hard toil, 
nor so patient and obedient. On the contrary, chastisement so irri- 
tates them, that if they cannot take vengeance on their employer, 
they will hang themselves with as little hesitation as Englishmen 
are said to do. 

The Chinese are much inclined to culinary manipulations, and 
many of them have become excellent cooks at Lima, but they have 
the reputation of not being over cleanly in their operations. On this 
head, we will relate an incident which happened to one of our 
friends. He had a Chinese cook, who prepared \he,puchero Limeno 
(Limanian beef-soup), in perfection. One day, having invited a party 
of intimate friends to a Creole dinner, our friend went into the kit- 
chen to see how the puchero was getting on, when, having raised 
the lid of the kettle, he was horrified by seeing a large rat lying on 
the cabbage. In answer to a severe scolding , the Chinese coolly 
said : " Do not be alarmed; puchero for you, rat for myself, " 

The Chinese seldom fulfil the terms of their engagement. With 
or without reason, they leave the farms or houses where they are 
employed, and get fresh places, of course at higher wages. At first, 
the police were called in to fetch back the runaways, but the Chi- 
nese themselves have recently estabhshed an agency, which under- 
takes to bring the absconders back, to their masters. This however 
seems to have only had the effect of aggravating the evil; for the 
agency encourages servants to run away by giving them a moiety 
of the 25 piastres which the former receives for taking them back. 

When the Chinese have fully recovered their liberty, either by 
indemnifying the importers with a money payment or by duly work- 
ing out the time of their engagement, they show a decided prefe- 
rence for three occupations, and become gaminghouse-keepers, 
victuallers, or money-lenders. In Chinese eating-houses, you would 
certainly get cat instead of hare, in a Chinese gaming-house you 



LIMA. 



89 



would be stript of your very shirt; and to a Chinese money-lender, 
you would have to pay a rate of interest which no Jew ever ventured 
to demand. The lowest interest they accept on loans is fifty per cent, 
and they not only use the articles left as pledges, but even let them 
on hire. One old usurer has been known to wear a pair of shoes 
on which he had advanced a piastre at four reales per month in- 
terest. 

In a recent sitting of the legislature, when a bill was presented 
for organizing the importalion of Chinese coolies on a large scale, 
a deputy, who had a great antipathy to the whole race, rose and 
said : ' ' Gentlemen , why the devil does anybody want to bring 
amongst us more apes of that sort? they are so ugly that they will 
destroy the beauty of our pure race (the speaker was an Indian of 
the Mountains) , and so corrupt that they are already refused as 
patients in the hospitals. If we must have foreigners, let them be 
whites; but not Englishmen, because they are not Christians I After 
all, it would be better to have Bozal negroes from Africa, for we 
know them well; they have been brought up with us; they have the 
same religion and they speak our language. " 




Fashionable Creole Negro. 



90 



LIMA. 



The native types are not exactly the same in all the villages of the 
mountains, and these again differ from the villages on the coast. 
The difference may be attributed in part to climatic influences. The 
diversity of character and customs is also very perceptible between 
the natives of the mountain and those of the coast, owing to the 
fact that the latter are nearer to, and brought into more frequent 
contact with, the inhabitants of the capital, which they frequently 
visit to sell their agricultural or manufactured products. Lima re- 
ceives every year a very considerable supply of fruit, fowls, etc.. 
from the nearer villages on the coast both north and south. 




Mountaineer Indians. 



The number of mountaineer Indians in Lima is very small. Of 
those who live there constantly, the men follow the trade of hawking 
ice, and the women are fresqueras (dealers in refreshments), nurse- 
maids, or servants. The Indian woman of the mountains is neither 
very industrious nor very intelligent, and seldom learns to speak 
Spanish well. 



H.E.THE GRAND mSHALP^MON CASTILLA 

Ex-PresicLenl of Peru 



92 



LIMA. 




Mountaineer Indian woman (fresquera) . 



The majority of the mountaineer Indians seen in Lima are arrie- 
ro,y (muleteers), Avho convey passengers and goods from one town 




Indian arrieros (muleteers). 



GENERAL MANUE L YDE 

Formerly Dictator of Peru 



LIMA. 93 

to another. As the state of the roads in Peru does not allow of 
using carriages, and there is no regular posting service, all who 
have to travel or send goods into the interior are obliged to employ 
the arrieros. The Indian, though at first sight appearing very simple 
and obsequious^ well knows that those who seek his aid cannot 
travel without it, and therefore imposes his own conditions with 
an air of superiority. A dialogue somewhat to the following effect 
usually takes place between the traveller and the arriero : 

" Have you mules for Jauja? " 

" Yes, tdita (papa). " 

" What is the hire for them? " 

" How many mules do you want? " 

" Two for riding and three for goods." 

" Well, you must give me eighteen piastres for each." 

" That is too much. Will you take eight? " 

" No, taita; forage is dear; you will give seventeen piastres and 
four reales. 

" No ; I will give you eight piastres and a half." 




Arriero loading his mule. 



" You will give me seventeen." 
" Nine." 

" Sixteen and a half." 
" Nine and a half." 



94 



LIMA. 



" Sixteen, if you will." 
" Ten. " 

" Sixteen, and not less, sefior." 
" Ten and four reals." 

" Come, without more words, fifteen piastres. ' 
" No, senor, I won't give above eleven." 
" Agreed, taita^ we will take them." 
" And when do you start?" 
" In the morning, to-morrow or the next day." 
" That will do. And are your mules good ones? Those for riding 
must have a very easy pace." 

" They are aguelillos {{), taita. You will pay for their keep also?" 

" For their keep! Am I not to pay you eleven piastres for each? " 

" The keep is a separate affair." 

" What does it cost?" 

" Two piastres for each mule." 

" I will give you one." 

" No, twelve reales," 

" Nine." 

" Ten, at least." 

" "Well say ten. We start to-morrow?" 

" Very good, taita. You will also pay the Avalchmen on the 
road?" " 

" The watchmen? " 

" The men who watch the mules while grazing." ^ 

" How much are they paid? " 

" A real every night for each animal." 

" I consent... Good bye, till to-morrow." 

" Good bye, taita. You will also pay for my men's coca (2) f 

" What again?" 

" How can it be otherwise, serlor? " 

(1) The Indians give tins name to a very small hol'se^ lean-looking, but taking 
very short and quick steps. 

(2) The coca is a Peruvian plant of which the Indians chew the learesj and consider 
them very nourishing. 




HIS EXCELLENCY M.PREDERIC BARREM 
Plempotentiary of Peru at WasLin(^ton,(U.S) 



LIMA. 



93 



" How much will that cost? " 
" One piastre for each man." 
" I will give four reals." 
" Say five." 

" Agreed; to-morrow morning then? " 
" Yes, taitay 

This to-morrow morning is two or three o'clock in the afternoon, 
not of the following day, but of the third or fourth after the bargain. 




fndian carrier makintj purchases. 



When the arnero arrives at Lima he makes purchases for him- 
self and the persons of his village. He carries a sack into which he 
promiscuously thrusts books, candles, drapery^ etc., and throws the 
whole on his back. No little patience is required to deal with In- 
dians; they haggle for every farthing, turn the goods they wish to 
have over and over again , go to one tradesman after another, and 
only decide at the very last moment. 

It has been said that a bull's strength lies in its horns, and a 
man's in his arms : the Indian's is in his back; with a box or other 



96 



LIMA. 



heavy load slung behind him, he will walk a long distance before 
he is tired. The women are also indefatigable. They never carry their 
children in their arms, and when we come to speak of the rabonas 
(soldier's wives) we shall see that they will carry on their backs their 
whole family and household goods. At Lima, and indeed in Peru 




Indian woman travelling. 

generally, man's strength hes : among the whites, in Ihe shoulders; 
among the negroes, in the head ; among the Indians in the back. 
Woman's chief power is found : among the Indians, in the feet; 
among negresses, in the tongue ; among the whites in the eyes. 

MORAL, INTELLECTUAL, AND PHYSICAL QUALITIES 
OF THE LIMANIANS. 

Whatever efforts may have been made to disparage the Limanians, 
there can be no doubt that they possess many estimable qualities in 
a high degree. Sincerity and frankness, with generosity and disin- 
terestedness , are their principal virtues. If the Limanians deserve 



imp .Lomeri,ip,r k G"t dc Sdne i-i Paris 



HIS EXCELLENCY JUAN M.DEL MAR 

Jud^e of the supreme Court 



i 



LIMA. 07 

any particular reproach , it is that, having a predilection for good 
living, being always ready to oblige a friend and not less inchned 
to lend a helping hand to the needy, they generally live beyond their 
incomes. They very seldom save money, and still less frequently 
can they be accused of avarice. As there is no rule, however abso- 
lute, which is not liable to exceptions, the fact is certain that if 
prodigality be the virtue or the defect of the majority of the Lima- 
nians, there are many who profess the principles of economy even 
to stinginess. 

The excellent qualities of the heart, deep-feeling, affection for a 
friend, and strong family attachment, are accompanied by a brilliant 
and ardent imagination and a subtle intellect precociously deve- 
loped. If political events did not exercise in Peru a direct and nearly 
ahvays disastrous influence, even in the most intimate relations of 
private life; if this influence did not facilitate the entrance of young 
men into public careers ; if there were strictness and justice in the 
distribution of office; if, in fine, there were any stimulants for 
really studious men, education would not be so imperfect as it now 
is ; men like those who, in other timeSj obtained such high renown 
in literature and science , even in Europe , would not now be so 
rare in Lima. As soon as a young man has obtained some kind of 
diploma; as soon as, trusting to his natural talents rather than to 
his learning, he enters the field of journahsm, he fancies that he 
has no need of further knowledge or study : such is the principal 
cause which makes many of them , endowed with really superior 
intellect, remain all their lives superficial smatterers, though they 
consider themselves fit for anything. 

That the natives of Lima are generally well-disposed is evident 
from the criminal statistics. The very few crimes committed in the 
capital are nearly always perpetrated by persons who come from 
the provinces or from foreign countries. Cases of poisoning are 
extremely rare; parricide and infanticide still more so. The Lima- 
nian,when excited by party-spirit or personal hatred, always shrinks, 
even if he meditates vengeance, from the bare idea of shedding his 
enemy's blood. 



98 



LIMA. 



The women of Lima are undeniably among those who deserve the 
highest panegyrics for the natural qualities with which Providence 
has favoured them ; gentle , amiable , and loving, they display an 
intelligence and imagination all the more remarkable as the edu- 
cation of their sex has till quite recently been altogether neglected. 
They are generally very quick of understanding : needlework, mu- 
sic, painting, dancing, are for them so easy, that but very few are 
destitute of these acquirements. 

The natives of Lima are of middle height, scarcely any of them 
exceeding six Spanish feet (5^ feet English). Admitting the prin- 
ciple of those physiologists who assert that the physical development 
always takes place at the expense of the intellectual, the moderate 
stature of the Limanians would seem to confirm what has been said 
above. The colour of the natives, even those born of European pa- 
rents, is swarthy, somewhat inclining to a yellow tint. Judging from 
their physiognomy, most of them appear to be sprightly, gay, and 
frank. Their eyes are nearly always dark or black, as is also their 
hair, though light hair and green or blue eyes are not uncommon. 

The slim figures of the Limanian ladies, their small well-shaped 
feet, the elegance and ease of their deportment, have always been 
acknowledged and extolled. Whether they are beautiful and have 
nothing to envy the women of other countries, the portraits con- 
tained in this book will tell better than any verbal description. 
These portraits are not the fantastic productions of art, but photo- 
graphs taken from life. 

NATIONAL COSTUME. 

The national garments called the say a y manto (1) , formerly so 
much used for visiting and walking, are now things of the past ; 
and, either through our want of taste, or because we could never 
discover the beauties of the saya^ we do not regret its complete 

(I) The saya was an upper skirt, gathered in" very narrow plaits and worn over 
the dress. The manto was a kind of hood, fastened round the waist and drawn up to 
cover the head. 



-IrDp.Lemeroer & C 



M.LOUIS E.ALBERTINI. 

First Secretary of tkeleoation of Peru m France 



LIMA. 



99 



disappearance. If the pretty foot of a lady wearing it could not 
escape the notice of the least curious observer, the truth never- 
theless compels us to say that this garment, owing to its scant pro- 
portions, masked the outlines of the figure in such a way as to 
deprive the wearer of all grace and elegance. Our ladies felt all the 
inconvenience of this narrow-plaited saya., when in stepping over a 
gutter they could not help wetting the toe of their white satin shoe, 
and they would have been greatly embarrassed, if compelled to run 
from some threatening danger. The saya had therefore to undergo 




Veiled lady going to Mass. 



a modification required both by decency and convenience : it was 
reduced to a kind of skirt plaited for only five or six finger-breadths 
at the waist. Fashion, which often runs into extravagance, then 
commanded that the mya, to be elegant and worthy to appear in 
places of public resort, should 1)0 nothing but fringe and orna- 
ments, the whole richness of the toilet consisting in the costly scarf, 
and in the beauty and elegance of the black or white satin shoes 
and of the silk stockings. 
L.ci C. 



100 



LIMA. 



The saya was the garment generally worn for morning visits, for 
going to church , for walking or following processions. In large 
assemblages of people, as at bull-fights, for instance, there might 
be seen a great number of torn sayas worn by the prettiest girls of 
Lima. The manto (hood) so disguised the wearer that even intimate 
friends could not recognize each other. It is easy to imagine that 
the fair Limanian took great advantage of this circumstance. The 
gallant who accosted her must have no little self-confidence to en- 
dure the sly repartees and biting sarcasms which escaped from the 
cherry-lips of a lady thus veiled. But what disappointments often 




Veiled lady in a public garden. 



occurred! An elegant figure, a white and well-turned arm, a tiny 
little foot, the corner of an expressive black eye, were not unfre- 
quently found to belong to a toothless old hag whose other eye was 
wanting. The artful use of the hood has many a time drawn the 
unsuspecting coxcomb into the toils of an ugly and repulsive old 
matron; nor was this all : well-shaped negresses and zambas, cover- 
ing their hands and arms with long silk or kid gloves reaching to 
the elbow, and letting the saya fall low enough to hide their splay 
feet, have ere now attracted by their slim waists, a swarm of elegant 




COMMANDANT OF THE HUSSARS OF THE GUARD 



LIMA. 101 

dandies anxious to win by honeyed words the good graces of these 
sable Yenuses. 

Ultimately the saya lost its sway, and that extinguisher-like head- 
gear called the manto also disappeared; but the fair Limanian, ever 
anxious to enhance her beauty by a little mystery, adopted in their 
stead the manto chilena (Chilian mantilla), with which she now veils 
and disguises herself, but less completely than with the manto. 




Lady veiled with tlie Chilian mantilla. 



The mantilla now, as the saya formerly, is worn for neighbourly 
visits and going to church. 

The Limanian lady, spoiled from her very cradle, soon acquires 
a passion for rich dresses, and generally has the taste to choose 
such as best set off her charms. The portraits given in this book 
, prove that the newest fashions of Paris are adopted in Lima a few 
week s later. 

The Limanian has a great partiality for perfumes' and flowers, 
and she has not long lost the habit of making fragrant bouquets of 
orange-flowers, jasmine, etc., to present to her favourite male 
friends on festive occasions. 



102 



LIMA, 



The gentlemen of Lima dress in the European fashion. A few 
years back, however, two or three indiyiduals might he seen in the 
streets of that city, who, long after the introduction of trowsers, 
persisted in wearing breeches like their fathers, until death trans- 
ferred them to that land where changes of fashion are unknown. 

The general garment of the lower classes, especially at night, is 
the poncho, a kind of round woollen cloak , with a hole in the 
middle for the head, and which covers the whole person from the 
shoulders almost to the knees. By day, the poncho is worn only by 
persons who ride into the country on horseback , to protect their 
clothes from rain or dust. 

Very few people wear garments peculiar to their occupations or 
professions. Physicians and barris'ters dress like all other gentle- 
men, though the latter when pleading before the tribunals are ex- 
pected to wear all black with a dress-coat. 

Soldiers, ecclesiastics, and nuns are the only persons who wear 
a peculiar costume. The uniforms of soldiers and sailors differ 
little from those seen in Europe. The same remark holds true of 
priests, with this difference, that in Lima they wear, over the cas- 
sock, a black cloak reaching to the middle of the leg (J), and their 
hat is neither round nor three-cornered, but resembles a boat in 
shape and is nearly two feet long. It is called a teja (tile). 

The colour of the clothes worn by ecclesiastics varies according 
to their order : the friars of La Merced wear white; the Augustines, 
black; the Dominicans, black and white; the Franciscans, blue or 
gray. Their costume consists of a kind of cassock, a cloak with a 
hood and a sort of apron (2). The pride of the monks is an enor- 
mous black cap, very stiff, and in the form of a tower. 

The Ministers of State, if civilians, wear black on all official oc- 
casions, with a blue sash and a cocked hat. The President is dis- 
tinguished by a wide sash of two colours. 

The chiefs of some of the Government offices have cocked hats 
and coats embroidered with gold on the collars and cuffs. The di- 

(1) See page 29. 

(2) See page 28. 




'nip ..enioiLiei" i - "rde Sein? i,-Riris 



/ 



LIMA. 103 

plomatic agents and consuls have a uniform nearly the same as 
that worn by French diplomatists. 

The ministers of the courts and the inferior judges wear, during 
official ceremonies, black coats embroidered with silk of the same 
colour; the rest of their dress is also black; then they have a sword, 
a cane, and a cocked hat. The judges of the Supreme Court have, 
as a distinctive mark, a gold medal suspended from the neck by a 
ribbon of two colours. The ribbon of the judges in the superior 
courts is deep scarlet. 

Mechanics and working- people in general have no particular 
costume. 

For morning calls and walking there are no exclusive garments; 
but for ceremonious visits, the usage is in favour of black frock- 
coats and trowsers, with white waistcoats and black cravats; for very 
formal visits the black dress-coat is indispensable. 

For friendly evening parties, the use of the frock-coat is uni- 
versal; the dress-coat is only worn for grand balls, and is always 
accompanied by a white cravat. 

For funerals, anniversary services for the dead, and visits of con- 
dolence , gentlemen wear entire suits of black with gloves of the 
same colour. 

Ladies wear, for balls,' silk dresses of light colours, and of any 
colour Avhatever for visits ; entirely black toilets are only used for 
going to church or mourning visits. Wedding costumes are all white. 

DEVOTIONS. — NUESTRO AMO. 

The women of Lima are devout ; they never, without good cause, 
miss attending the principal services of the church. 

The ordinary prayers of the day are said on rising; at half-past 
nine in the morning, when the Cathedral bell announces the conse- 
cration of the host at high mass; at sunset, and on going to bed. 
The bells of all the churches are rung at eight o'clock in the even- 
ing, and devout persons then say a few prayers, which, at that hour, 
are believed to deliver souls from purgatory. 



104 



LIMA. 



On hearing the Cathedral bells ring in the morning, and those of 
all the churches at sunset (the Angelus), all who are walking in the 
streets stop and take off their hats. 

When extreme unction is carried to a person at the point of death, 
which is nearly always done in procession with more or less people 
following, men and women of all ages and conditions uncover 
their heads and fall on their knees, as soon as they perceive the 
bearers of the Holy Sacrament. 

It is a common saying, and, in my opinion, well-founded, that 
the rich make a great noise on entering this world, a great noise 
during their lifetime, and a great noise for some days before they 
leave it (unless taken off by sudden or violent death) , and the noise 
continues for a few days after their decease. 

Nothing can be more certain than this. When a lady of high po- 
sition, whether from birth or riches, approaches the solemn crisis of 
her interesting situation, she puts the whole house in commotion: 
lackeys are sent in hot haste to fetch the physician and midwife; 
while, of the maid-servants, some hasten to inform their senoras 
nearest relatives of her sufferings, others to wring the fowl's neck, 
to look out the cradle, childbed linen, etc. 

The future mother, however exalted her social rank, suffers at 
that moment as intensely as the humblest of her sex, and gives way 
to groans and tears. At last, God grants her a happy delivery, and 
messengers are instantly dispatched in all directions to apprise her 
kindred and friends that the world counts one more unit of hu- 
manity who will one day become God knows what. 

As for the poor, they make much less ado; they send few mes- 
sengers to announce the birth of their offspring. Our women of the 
mountains give birth to their children by the wayside in the cold 
and desert Cordilleras. The moment their children are born they 
wrap them, not in fine embroidered linen, but in coarse woollens, 
hang them at their backs and proceed on their journey. 

That the rich man makes a great noise diuing his life is a fact 
which requires no demonstration: dinners, concerts, balls, horses, 
carriages, etc., etc., are his means of display. That a great ado is 



LIMA. 105 

made some days before his death we have ample proof at Lima in 
the numerous processions which accompany the parish priest when 
he carries the last consolations of religion to the patient whose phy- 
sician has pronounced the fatal sentence that all human help is un- 
availing. 

When the procession of Nuestro Amo (Our Lord) leaves the pa- 
rish-church, the fact is announced by ringing a small bell to sum- 
mon all the hermunos (members of confraternities) who, from 
a feeling of devotion, have imposed on themselves the duty of 
escorting and lighting the Santisimo (Holy Sacrament). If the dying 
man be of humble condition, there are but few attendants with very 
small lanternSj and not more than two or three chanters ; but if he 
belong to the upper class, in addition to a great number of friends 




Alumbrante (lantern-bearer) accompanying the viaticum. 

who, taper in hand, join the procession, los alumbrantes (lantern- 
bearers) of the parish come in great force, dressed in flaming-red 



106 



LIMA. 



cloaks, and carrying large ornamental lanterns; there are also za- 
humadoras {{) , and a military band completes the cortege. Passengers 
and idlers join the procession, some because they wish to be thought 
friends of the viajero (traveller starting for the other world), and 
others because they have nothing better to do. With such parade as 
this the devout Limanian departs this life, and, like the faithful else- 
where, never leaves its pomps and vanities till they leave him. 

In all the parishes there are Cofradias del Santisimo (brother- 
hoods of the Most Holy Sacrament), who take charge of the worship 
of Nuestro Amo and are careful that lights shall never be wanting. 
These brotherhoods have revenues, but as store is no sore^ they col- 
lect alms in various ways. Often a negro or a devout zambo parades 
the streets crying: i Para la cera de Nnestro Amol (for Our Lord's 




J Para la cera de Nuesfro Amo! (For the tapers of our Lord!) 

tapers!) The street-boys of Lima, like those of all other large ci- 
ties, have no great faith in the probity of devotees, and they shout 

(1) The za/ivmadoras are women who carry small chafing-dishes on which they 
burn incense and other perfumes. 



LIMA. 107 

in reply : La mitadpara mi, la mitad para el Amo (half for me, half 
for the Lord) . 

No one can imaghie the ardent zeal of the sanctimonious female 
devotees of the different parishes; those who belong to one will in- 
sist that their Nuestro Amo is much better than any of the others 
can boast; they assert that their own is richer and more splendidly 
served than all the rest. The splendour consists more especially in 
the canopy, the number of ornaments, and the large size of the 
lanterns. 

RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS. 

Within the last few years the number of religious festivals and 
processions has considerably diminished, but the most remarkable 
change is the decline in the magnificence and splendour of the 
latter. The ceremonies of the Holy Week are but the more shadow 
of what they once were, and scarcely a reminiscence remains of the 
gorgeous display made by the Friars of La Merced, on Good Friday 
when the procession of the Santo Sepidcro used to start from their 
church. 

Having touched on this subject, we will give a concise account 
of what these ceremonies used to be and of what they are now. 

In bygone times, as at present, during the week following Pas- 
sion Sunday, it was customary for priests to issue from the churches 
accompanied by two pages in livery, one of whom carried a huge 
parasol and the other a large salver, formerly of silver, but now of 
any less costly metal. The priests went from door to door collecting 
money for the Santo Momnneiito. On Palm Sunday the palms were 
blessed in the church, and in the afternoon the procession of the 
Borriquito (ass's colt) left the Chapel of the Baratillo in memory of 
Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The procession is still kept 
up, but without the numerous following and splendour of former 
times. The borrifpdto or rather borriquita (ass's filly) used at Lima 
is a wooden one; but in some villages the Saviour is carried by a 
she-ass. The history of Las Bunas del Senor (the Lord's she-asses) 



108 



LIMA. 



at Chorrillos , is well known. The first ass employed for the pro- 
cession, many long years ago, naturally became an object of vene- 
ration for the Indians, who not only allowed it to remain at liberty 
and unworked, but also fed it well. Rest and abundant food had 
made the animal very fat. It had the free range of the village and 
the neighbouring valleys, but on Palm Sunday it spontaneously went 



to the church accompanied by its young one. The race of this sa- 
gacious ass is not extinct; its descendants still perform the same 
services and enjoy the same privileges and attentions as their prede- 
cessors. It is said that, down to the present time, there has been no 
instance of the ass having failed in attendance or of its having come 
without a foal. 

On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, in the morning, the ser- 
vice of the Passion was celebrated in all the churches. The crowds 
which then flocked to the churches of La Merced and of San Agus- 




; Para el Santo Monumento! ( For the Sa.nto Monumento!) 



LIMA. 100 

tin, and in the evening to the Temhrce at the latter, were really 
extraordinary. On Maundy Thursday the monuments of the Passion 
were uncovered in all the churches. The finest and most famous 
was that of San Francisco representing the Last Supper. This mo- 
nument drew the most visitors, not so much from any feeling of 
devotion as to see the apostle Judas Iscariot with a face redder than 
fire and with a Chili pepper-pod in his mouth. To judge the health 
of the apostles by their faces, Judas, who was of a sanguine tem- 
perament, appeared in more robust health than his companions. 

The procession which started from San Agustin, on Maundy 
Thursday, presented a finer show of statues than those of all the 
other parish churches of Lima. Each group represented one of the 
scenes of the Passion of the Saviour. The Jews were personated 
by wooden images, of the natural size, to which religious zeal had 
attempted to give the most repulsive and ludicrous aspect possible. 
The statuaries could not conceive the possibility of a Jew being 
pale or having a human appearance : all the images consequently 
had such countenances as are usually attributed to demons. The 
people were in ecstasies at the sight of these groups, and in their 
enthusiasm, apostrophized the images as if they had been the living 
executioners who insulted and crucified the Divine Redeemer. 

On Good Friday, the procession of the San Sepulcro used to leave 
the church of La Merced. Nothing could equal the rich display of 
chasubles, choir cloaks, and other ornaments made by these holy 
fathers. This procession , which might fairly be called that of the 
aristocracy, was followed by the most beautiful senoras and the 
richest cabcdleros of Lima. 

The church of San Pedro also had its day. On Holy Saturday it 
was filled with a brilliant crowd to attend the Gloria mass. The 
night following was the noche buena (good night); the grocers 
burned Judas at twelve o'clock, the hour for the sumptuous suppers 
which announced the end of Lent and the beginning of the joyous 
feast of Easter. 

All these festivals, except the processions of Maundy Thursday and 
Good Friday are still kept, though with less solemnity and splendour. 



110 



LIMA. 



The grandest processions of the present day are those of Niicstra 
ScHora lie las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercies) , patroness of the arms 
of the Republic; of Santa Rosa, patroness of Lima ; of Our Lady of 
the Rosary, of Corpus Christi, of Quasimodo, and of the Sefior de 
los Milagros (Our Lord of Miracles). 

Few saints, male or female, had more votaries at Lima than 
Nuestra Seilora del Bosarw. There were divers brotherhoods de- 
voted to her worship, each making a different addition to her name: 
one called her Nvestra Seilora del Rosario de los Negros (of the Ne- 
groes), another de los Pardos (of the Mulattoes), a third de los In- 
dios (of the Indians), and a fourth de los Blancos (of the Whites), 
These castes rivalled each other in decorating their Virgin for the 
annual processions, all of which are now reduced to one. We know 
not whether this change is owing to the fact that the brethren of dif- 
ferent colours have recently become convinced that there is only 
one Virgin, and but one God for all the races of mankind, or be- 
cause the Mulattoes and Indians are less religious than they used 
to be. We say nothing of the negroes, as their brotherhood has na- 
turally ceased to exist owing to their almost total extinction. As al- 
ready stated, the procession oi Nuestra Seilora de los Negros, on 
Corpus Christi-day, used to be followed by troops of negroes dis- 
guised as demons. 

On the festival of Quasimodo (the Sunday after Easter), the pro- 
cession of Ntiestro Amo starts from all the parish -churches and 
chapels of ease. On no day of the year do the streets of Lima pre- 
sent a more animated appearance. The first procession leaves the 
Sagrario before six in the morning, the streets having been pre- 
viously watered and strewed with flowers. The ladies are already in 
their balconies, from which they scatter perfumes when El Santi- 
simo passes before them. As the processions of all the parish- 
churches set off at different liours, the streets are filled with them 
till three or four in the afternoon. On this occasion, Nuestro Amo 
visits all convalescent patients who desire the consolation of re- 
ceiving him. 

A few years back the Quasimodo processions , as well as those of 



LIMA. 



Corpus Chris// were followed by bauds of mummers dressed to imi- 
tate demons, while others not less hideous and ridiculous, appeared 
as Giants and Papa-huevos. The former were colossal pasteboard 




Giants and Papa-huevos. 



images , carried by a negro concealed inside, and the latter were 
boys wearing masks in the shape of a head which covered all their 
body but the legs. 

However, while the country was still a Spanish colony, many 
persons protested against these exhibitions, which, under the pre- 
text of honouring the Divinity, Avere offensive to public morality, 
and turned religion itself into ridicule; but the abuse was tolerated, 
and we may even say authorized, by the viceroys, for they took no 
steps to put an end to the barbarous practices introduced by their 
predecessors. 

Among the curious documents handed down from those good 
old times, we find a petition, addressed to the government of Lima 



J12 



LIMA. 



by the priest of a parish in the capital, against a decree issued in 
1817 forbidding the presence of giants in the Quasimodo processions. 
The worthy priest propounds his complaint as follows : 

" Most Excellent Sefior. — The priest N. N., Doctor of Sacred 
Theology, of the most illustrious Royal and Pontifical University 
of San Marcos, incumbent of the parish of... has the honour re- 
spectfully to represent to your Excellency : that it is a notorious 
wrong and a manifest offence against the majesty of the Divine 
Pastor, Redeemer, and Saviour of all generations to have forbidden 
this year, paramount hni \\Qi competent authority, the presence 
of devils and giants in the public processions of Quasimodo (Sunday 
next). The measure is unreasonable and unnecessary, 1. because 
the said devils form an innocent escort to the Divine Majesty, and the 
people delight to see them prostrate themselves before God ; and 2., 
because the giants, without frightening children, attract a more 
numerous crowd of devout persons, but for whose presence the Di- 
vine procession would be completely deserted. Your petitioner there- 
fore begs of your Excellency and of your pious heart, that from my 

church of my faithful parishioners may proceed disguised as 

devils and giants ; I await this favour from your pious Christian 
heart. 

Dr. N. N. Cwm ^/e... 

" I further pray that there may be Papa-huevos. " 

The viceroy, moved by so much eloquence and convinced by the 
reverend theologian's arguments, replied in these terms : 

" In conformity with the prayer of this petition, the venerable 
cura of... is permitted to have four giants to accompany the Di- 
vine Majesty on Quasimodo Sunday next , and also Papa-huevos. 
(Signed). " 

The procession of the Sefior de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles), 
called the Rodeo de las y?e/V?^ (procession of old women), though 
many young girls join it, starts from the church of the Nazarene 
nuns on the 18th of October, in commemoration of one of the 
earthquakes which destroyed the capital. The Sefior de los Milagros 

\ 



LIMA. H3 

has been made the patron of earthquakes, for the reasons given 
in the following popular legend. 

" At a certain place in Lima called Pachacamilla, there stood a 
building used as a place of meeting by the Angolas negroes, one of 
whom painted on the wall a picture of Christ on the Cross. On the 
13th of November 1655, a violent earthquake, which destroyed a 
great number of houses, threw down all those of Pachacamilla and 
the walls of the negroes' assembly-room, except the one on which 
the crucifixion was painted. The standing wall was preserved, and 
the other three walls were rebuilt, but the place was some time 
afterwards transferred to other owners, who, wishing to efface the 
picture, covered it over with lime-wash and paint, but all their 
efforts were vain, for it only looked brighter and fresher. A miracle 
so astounding induced a man named Andres Leon to erect on the 
spot, in 1670, a thatched house to shelter the persons who went to 
pray before the crucifix. Subsequently, Captain Don Sebastian de 
Antunano bought the place along with the surrounding property, 
and the church of the Nazarene nuns was built on the spot. The 
picture of the Lord of Miracles still exists on the wall behind the 
high-allar." 

The Senor de los Milagros is followed on procession days by indi- 
viduals who call themselves penitents, but their only claim to that 
character is the absurd disguise which they assume. These men 
solicit alms from the public, crying with a loud voice : " Help us 
to buy tapers for Nuestvo Amo and the Senor de los Milagros I — 
Where are the devotees of last year? " 

This procession continues two days, and the old women, in rela- 
ting what churches it is to enter, say : El Senor, on the day 
he goes out , eats in the church of the Conception , sleeps in that 
of the Bescalzas (Barefooted nuns); on the second day, he eats at 
St. Catherine's and sleeps at home. " 

There is no regular procession without two sorts of attendants, 
the mistureras and the zahumadoras . The senoras dress the young 
negresses and zambas in their service with all possible richness and 
elegance ; those who are to accompany the procession are splendidly 

8 



114 



LIMA. 




Penitent. 




Misturera. 



LIMA. 



115 



decked out that day with costly scarfs, gold rings, clasps, and ear- 
pendants set with diamonds. 

The mistureras haye on their heads large salvers holding flowers, 
and the zaJmmadoras carry in their hands silver chafing-dishes, 




Zahumadora. 



filled with live coals, on which they burn a very fragrant resin 
called zahumerio. 

At the liour of vespers on certain important festivals, like that 




Bunuelera (fritter-woman). 



116 



LIMA. 



of Ni(estra Sefiora de las Mercedes, there may be seen in the streets 
near the church women selHng picantes (highly-spiced viands), 
fritters, and chicha morada (an intoxicating beverage made from 
Indian corn). We do not know the origin of this custom ; but what 
we do know of these open-air kitchens is, that the disagreeable 
odour they diffuse, and the obstacles they place in the way of passen- 
gers, cannot in any way contribute to the solemnity of a religious 
festival. 

The crosses erected in the cemeteries of the parish churches are 
taken down in the month of May lo be repainted and embelhshed. 
Not long since, it was the custom, on the day of restoring them to 
their places, to celebrate the famous spectacles of the Moors and 
Christians. 

Two large stages were erected in the middle of the streets nearest 
the churches. On one of these figured the Moorish army with the 
king at its head ; on the other the Christian host, also with its king. 

From each camp issued ambassadors on horseback to defy the 
hostile monarch, and delivered burlesque tirades in the rude and 
uncouth language of the populace. When we remember that the 
actors in these farces were negro water-carriers, it will be easy to 
conceive all the merit q{ the tragic declamation required by the subject. 

Nothing could well be more unsightly than the aspect of the 
streets full of a rabble excited by ample libations of spirituous 
liquors. The side-walks were covered with benches, tables, and 
counters, on which were placed chairs for the spectators ; the ludi- 
crous farces of these negro monarchs parodying the kings of Gra- 
nada; the numerous liquor-sellers, and the fritter-women whose 
fires filled the streets with smoke, were anything but ornamental 
or proofs of the civilization of the people. 

VISITS AND PARTIES. 



The families of Lima have no particular days or hours for re- 
ceiving visitors. Friends of either sex are welcomed at any hour, 
except, of course^ early in the morning, and at meal-times. 



LIMA. 



in 



Visits to persons not intimately known am generally made on 
week-days, from one till four in the afternoon, or from seven till 
eleven in the evening. The seiloras are very amiable and courteous, 
and use every means compatible with propriety and good-breeding 
to set their visitors at ease. To be a foreigner is considered a claim 
on the kindness of persons of good society, just as much as it 
is a ground for mockery on the part of the populace. The men 
of the lower classes look on all foreigners as Jews, and the women 
call them brutes, simply because they are generally unable to speak 
Spanish. 

Formerly it was the custom to offer visitors different kinds of 
refreshments according to the hour at which they arrived : from 
noon till four o'clock they were requested to take las once (1), and 
in the evening chocolate, biscuits, etc. At present, tea is generally 
given, -which causes people who have passed their fiftieth year to 
say that the English, with their insipid slops, have brought stingi- 
ness into fashion. 

In bygone times nearly all ladies smoked, so that the first thing 
they offered to their friends was a cigar, then perfumes, flowers, etc. 
This practice has also disappeared, without the English having re- 
placed it by another. 

Great evening parties and balls are very rare, a fact which would 
not seem to say much for our sociability. On certain days of the 
year , the members and intimate friends of families do indeed 
meet ; but those ceremonious invitations which afford such excel- 
lent opportunities for easily acquiring polite manners and for draw- 
ing closer the bonds of friendship are, we repeat, extremely rare; 
and yet the young ladies of Lima are enthusiastically fond of dan- 
cing and music, and there are very few of them who cannot play 
the piano and also sing a little. 

(1) Las once (the eleven) consisted generally of bread, cheese, fruit, olives, aguar- 
diente (brandy) ; from the eleven letters of this word came the expression las once, 
a euphemism which was substituted for the unaristocratic phrase : / Vamos d ecliar 
un trajo ! (Let us have a drink!) 



118 



LIMA. 



FELICITATIONS, COMPLIMENTS OF CONDOLENCE, ETC. 

Spanish courtesy, of which we still retain some remains (and God 
forbid that we should ever lose them to accept in their stead a false 
and hollow politeness), was once proverbial throughout the world. 
The frankness, high-breeding, and generosity of our ancestors were 
accompanied by a strict etiquette, which made them regard as a 
breach of politeness and friendship the omission to congratulate a 
friend on any accession of fortune or to condole with him in his 
reverses and sufferings. 

It was the usage to visit a more or less intimate friend, on his 
obtaining office ; when he returned from a journey previous to 
which he had taken leave of you ; on his marriage ; on his birth- 
day ; when a child was born to him, and in general on any occur- 
rence which could cause him joy or grief. 

A gentleman about to marry always announces the event to his 
friends ; the ancient formula for such letters was nearly in these 
terms : Don N. N. announces to you his marriage with Donna N. N. 
and both place themselves at your disposal. Etiquette required that 
the persons receiving these letters should pay a visit to the newly 
married couple and express the wish that their happiness might 
endure for many centuries and that God would send them plenty of 
hildren. According to present usage, nothing more is sent than a 
card bearing the names of the parties ; in the highest circles em- 
blems are seldom added, but the names are sometimes placed in 
tlie middle of a ring formed of a ribbon tied in a true-lovers' knot 
and hanging from the beak of a bird. 

The compliments addressed to any person on his or her birthday, 
were limited to saying : May you pass many happy days in the society 
of your honourable family I and the reply was : May it also be i?i 
your company ! The compliment is now suppressed, and cards are 
sent instead. 

On the birth of a child, the parents usually send a message by 
a servant, who, no great while since, when slavery still existed, 



LIMA. 119 

used to say : My senorita wishes her ladyship many happy days, 
hopes that her ladyship is well, and informs her ladyship that she has 
another servant at her command. This message would give rise to a 
dialogue like the following: 

"Ah! she has been confined?" 

" Yes, mi amita (my little mistress)." 

"And of what?" 

" Of a boy, senorita.'" 

" At what o' clock?" 

" Eleven last night, senorita." 

" Who attended her?" 

" Mi amita Joaquina." 

" And when will the christening be?" 

" This evening, sefwrita." 

" And who is to be the godfather?" 

" Mi amo (my master), Senor Don Antuco." 

' ' Well, tell your senorita that I thank God she has been happily 
delivered, and that I will see her this evening with the nifias (little 
girls)." 

" Adieu then, mi amita." 

As to the ancient and modern modes of paying compliments of 
condolence, the reader is referred to what has been said on mourn- 
ing and funerals. 

Modern refinement has put an end to the pldcemes, stupid com- 
pliments formerly paid to parents who had lost a child of tender 
age. In the certainty that such innocent creatures have not to un- 
dergo the pains of Purgatory, but that they go straight to the pre- 
sence of God, it was customary to say to the mother : 3Iay God 
grant you life and health to send angels to heaven I which was equi- 
valent to wishing her the affliction of losing more children. This 
compliment, as we have said, has fallen into desuetude, and none 
now express wishes that their friends may send inhabitants to 
heaven . 

Congratulations of neighbourhood are offered by the persons liv- 
ing in a quarter to those who come to reside near them. They con- 



I 

120 LIMA. 

sist in assuring the new-comer that he or she is welcome, and in 
offering any services that may be required. This visit is returned on 
the following day. The person who offered the congratulations calls 
again in a week, and after that visit has been returned, the parties 
either become intimate or all relations cease between them. 

BESA-MANOS (KISSING OF HANDS). 

The grand official receptions which used to be held on the anni- 
versaries of the Independence and of the famous battle of Ayacucho 
have fortunately ceased. 

The President, the authorities, and the corporations used to attend 
(as they do still) a thanksgiving mass at the Cathedral, in comme- 
moration of those great events. After the religious service, the au- 
thorities accompanied the President back to his palace, where he 
took his stand under a canopy in the reception-room , to hear ha- 
rangues addressed to him by the heads of the corporations and the 
professors or students of the national colleges. All these speeches 
turned on the inevitable themes of " thanking the Almighty for the 
blessing of Independence, of deploring the political misfortunes of 
the past year and of anticipating the happiness promised by the* 
present." In these pompous declamations there were incessant al- 
lusions to Mars and his ravages^ Minerva and her benefits, the olive- 
branch of peace , the torch of discord, the lion of Iberia, the yoke of 
conquest, the three centuries , and all the phraseology invented about 
half a century ago, and repeated by patriots ever since. 

It was usual to conclude with these or similar words : May Peru 
be happy I May the tree of liberty yield us rich and abundant fruit 
under the wise , just , and illustrious government of your Excellency \ 
Such are the wishes of the Court of Accounts (or of the illustrious 
University of San Marcos) in whose name I have the honour to congra- 
tulate your Excellency on this day, ever memorable for our country. 
I have said." 

The President, whether an orator or not, would then reply to these 
eloquent or impertinent harangues, by offering his arm, his sword, 



* 



LIMA. 121 

and all his faculties , to secure the happiness of Peru during the 
following year; after which, everybody would withdraw, comment- 
ing on the merits of the different speakers and laughing at the ill- 
kck or incapacity of those who had broken down in the midst of 
their speeches. 

After the abolition of this ceremonial, a proceeding was adopted, 
less ridiculous and attended with positive advantages for the adorers 
of the Independence. The Government now invites to the palace the 
veterans of the year 20 and those of the current year ; and sets be- 
fore them a table abundantly provided with viands and wine (1). 
The veterans enjoy themselves and make speeches, thanking God 
that, through the Independence and the progress of industry, they 
can now drink 

Aquellos vinos puros, 
Generosos, maduros, 
Gustosos y fragantes. 
Que no tomaban antes (2), 

that is, in those glorious times when they were fighting for the 
liberty of Peru. 

NATIONAL REPASTS. 

Though the influence of foreigners, among whom may be men- 
tioned some few high priests of the culinary temple, has led to the 
disappearance of some Creole dishes from the dinner and supper 
table, there still remain many which will never be abandoned by 
those whose fortune precludes the use of foreign delicacies. 

First on the list of national dishes stands the pnchero, to which, 
if popular traditions may be believed, the monks of Lima were in- 
debted for the rotundity of their venerable persons. The Limanian 
puchero is, in fact, a dish which, from the variety and succulence 

(1) If it so happens that they are not overthrown by some recently victorious revo- 
lutionist. 

(2) Those wines, pure, rich, and ripe, of exquisite flavour and fragrance, which 
they rarely drank before. 



122 



LIMA. 



of its constituent principles, forms a good meal of itself alone. To 
make ^pichero, according to the strict gastronomic rules, put into 
a kettle a large piece of beef or mutton, some cabbage, sweet pota- 
toes, salt pork, sausage meat, pig's feet, yucas(l), bananas, quinces, 
peas, and rice, with annotto and salt for seasoning. Add a suffi- 
cient quantity of water and let the whole stew gently for five or six 
hours, then serve in a tureen or deep dish. It is easy to conceive 
that whoever eats heartily of this heterogeneous compound will 
not be in any danger of dying from inanition for the next twelve 
hours. 

Another national dish is the clmpe, which, though less esteemed 
than the piichero, is, nevertheless very relishing. It consists of po- 
tatoes boiled in water or milk, to which are added fresh-water 
crabs, fried fish, eggs, cheese, lard, and salt. The secret of making 
a chupe in perfection is said to be known to the cooks of Lima 
only. 

The carapulca, the locro, the quinua atamalada^ etc. are the daily 
food of the poorer inhabitants of Peru. 

The favourite dainties for Sunday breakfasts are : the chicharron, 
which is nothing but pork fried in lard; the tamal, a paste made 
of maize flour and lard, in which pislachioes, pimento, and slices 
of pork are enclosed, then wrapped in green plantain leaves and 
grilled over the tire; the pastiliUo, made of yuca meal, which is fried 
and eaten with sugar. 

For dinner parties, the French fashion is followed, that being 
preferred as far as concerns repasts. The tables are richly orna- 
mented, and the service is effected in good style. The pressing en- 
treaties by which the master of the house used to show his respect 
for the guests have fallen into desuetude. No one now ever hears at 
table such annoying expressions as : Jesus! how little you eat\ shall 
I offer you another slice'! Take some of this; it is excellent; try this 
dish; it was made by Fulanita (2j, and other similar appeals, which 

(1) Yuca, Adam's needle, a long round root, very white and mealy. 

(2) This Fulanita (Spanish for So-and-so) was the mistress of the house or one of 
her daughters. 



LIMA. \23 

often induced the visitor to eat in spite of himself, and without 
rehsh, under pain of being thought ill-bred. 

It is scarcely necessary to say that the grand banquets of former 
times were composed of all the favourite dishes of the day. The bill 
of fare of a great dinner would be something like the following : 
Sopa teologa (parson's soup) ; piichero; chick en querregue (with mel- 
ted butter); stuffed turkey ; roast fowls; forced meat balls; carapulca; 
almendrado (meat with almond sauce); pigeons; and eight or ten 
other items ; for the dessert, there was a great variety of fruit and 
sweets, among which always appeared la leche asada (literally, 
roasted milk, a kind of clotted cream), and the mand (yolks of eggs); 
the last article, without which the dinner would have been thought 
incomplete, was the traditional empanada (1). The sumptuousness of 
the banquet was estimated by the cost of the empanada. This cake, 
made by pastry-cooks, w^as always in the shape of an oblong rec- 
tangle. There have been empanadas so large that two men were re- 
quired to bring them to table. The empanada was always received 
with cheers and every demonstration of joy. 

The wine generally drunk during the dinner was Frontignac ; 
Champagne was brought with the dessert; but many persons pre- 
ferred Pisco or Italia (2). 

Toasts were regarded as indispensable : the guests always drank 
each others' healths, and he who proposed the toast made a speech 
which invariably concluded with the panegyric of the host or the 
members of his family. The speakers were always loudly applaud- 
ed, the whole company crying, as each resumed his seat : Vival 
viva! at the same time striking the plates and glasses with their 
knives, sometimes inflicting no trifling pecuniary loss on their en- 
tertainers. 

Besides toasts, one of the modes by which the company mani- 
fested their affection was the bocadito (little mouthful) : every gentle- 
man and lady took up a piece of meat, fowl, pastry, etc., on the forks 
they were using, and handed the same to their neighbour, who re- 

(1) The empanada was a sort of very large marchpane. 

(2) Brandy. 



124 LlIVrA. 

turned the compliment by handing back a similar piece on his or 
her own fork. 

Such was the profusion at all these formal dinners, that if there 
were only ten guests, sufficient would be prepared for thirty. I can- 
not call to mind the name of the shrewd individual who used to 
say that when a man was invited to dinner, he ought to eat abun- 
dantly and also to carry something home. This principle was pro- 
fessed at Lima thirty years ago by all classes of society. If a guest had 
not taken his family with him, and his house was at no great dis- 
tance, he would till a large plate from one of the dishes which he 
preferred and send it to his wife, with a message that he sent her 
that bocadito because it had stuck in his throat; and truly such a 
mouthful would have been almost enough to choke a whale. It was 
so generally the practice never to go home empty-handed, that a 
man was certain his wife and children would not fail to ask on his 
return : What have you brought from the ditmer? 

On the day after such a feast, the lady of the house would divide 
among her friends the remainder of the preserves, confectionery, 
and fruit, not forgetting to send a piece of the empanada at the 
same time. 

For a whole fortnight afterwards, the banquet would be the sub- 
ject of endless comments. Let us hear two persons of the fair sex 
thus indulge the charitable custom of backbiting. 

"Did you go, nina (little girl), to Donna Dominguita's din- 
ner?" 

" Yes, hi/a (daughter), and would to God I had not gone! " 
" Why? Was it not well served?" 

" Only so-so. Just fancy that I there met Donna Josefa..." 
" Which?... the wife of the treasurer of the cofradtas?" 
" Herself. If you had but seen now proud she was of her dia- 
mond chupetes (1)! " 

" Ha-ha! only think of that! Just as if her godmother Bartola " 

(1) The day after the dinner was called corcoba (bump). 

(2) Ear-pendants in the shape of almonds very much like those now worn, but 
larger. 



LIMA. i2o 

were not still living; a meztiza (mixed breed) who was once house- 
keeper in the establishment of my godfather, the Marquis of..." 

" But as soon as she got married to Don Pedrito.. ." 

" And who is this Don Pedrito? Do we know him? — Who else 
was there? " 

" Only a few nobodies. There was the friar N... (1)." 

" Him of La Merced?" 

" No, his brother, the Dominican." 

" You must know that he pleased me very much. He is very 
lively. . . He -proposed a toast in verse and paid very high compliments 
to Donna Merceditas." 

" Mere flattery, nifia, because he dined at the house..." 

" There was also Dr. J... Are you aware that he is a Zambo, very 
free and easy? He talked so much nonsense to my cousin Antuquita, 
who is still such an innocent creature that 1 was obliged to keep her 
close by my side." 

" And how was the dinner?" 

"How would you have it? Don't you know Donna Dominguita, 
who is covetousness personified?" 

" Her husband is more generous, but she has him under her 
thumb. She manages every thing, and the poor goose lets her do as 
she likes. Just fancy that the Za)nba Juliana did the cooking... She 
refused to engage Monte Blanco or Serapio (2) because they asked 
half an onza. They did not get their empanada from the pastry 
cook's shop at La Blerced but from the one at San Andres.'' 

" And yet what grand airs they give themselves ! " 

" Grand airs, niila. — They even kept the fragments ! " 

And in this charitable style all the company were passed in re- 
view. 

The more peculiarly national viands are the picantes (spiced 
dishes) which the populace especially favour, but not they alone. 
The picantes are poison rather than food, on account of the im- 
mense proportion of pimento they contain. For some enthusiasts, 

(1) Wherever there was a dinner monks would he sure to attend. 

(2) Negro cooks, very famous in their day. 



'126 



LIMA. 



the most delicious ragout is that which makes them suffer most 
while eating it. There are persons from whom the burning properties 
of pimento draw tears, but who nevertheless smack their lips as if 
they liked it beyond measure. It must be owned that a pleasure 
which causes so much suffering is not over agreeable. 

The picmites are made of fresh meat, fish, salt meat, potatoes, etc.; 
but the most biting picante, that which oftenest compels tears, is 
the sevkhe. It is composed of small pieces of fish or crabs, soaked 
in the juice of bitter oranges with plenty of pimento and salt. After 
lying for some hours till the fish is thoroughly impregnated with 




Indian picantera. 



pimento, and cooked, as it were, by its burning effect and the 
acidity of the orange-juice, it is ready for the table. Whoever in- 
dulges in the pleasure of eating seviche is sure afterwards to have 
the satisfaction of passing a few moments with open mouth, and 
suffering, at the very least, great irritation of the bowels. 



LIMA. 



i21 



To mitigate the burning heat caused by pimento, the people 
drink chkha (beer made of maize). Pimento employed as a condi- 
ment in small quantities is nevertheless agreeable, and produces no 
perceptible bad effects. 

The picantes are sold at Lima by negresses who walk about the 
streets carrying their pans in a large basket on their heads, and in 
the low eating-houses called picanterias. These establishments are 
neai'ly all kept by Indian women from the mountains or the coast, 
some of whom have a great reputation for skill in preparing the dish. 

The practise of going to pkar(l) in these pkanterias, on return- 
ing from the bull-fights, has ceased for some years past. 

NATIONAL BEVERAGES. 

The three principal beverages made in Peru and consumed at 
Lima are aguardiente (brandy), chkha, and guarapo. Wealthy per- 
sons have, however, always kept a stock of foreign wines in their 
cellars. At the present time, the most famous wines are familiar to 
all persons in easy circumstances. In some districts of the southern 
coast, wines are grown which have acquired great reputation even 
in European markets. The pure spirit of the grape has given some 
celebrity to the valley of Pisco, where it is distilled, and this was 
the beverage always offered at las once (I). This beverage is now 
little used by respectable persons. Guarapo, produced by the fer- 
mentation of cane-trash after the sugar has been extracted, was the 
favourite drink of the negroes, especially of the bozales. A distinction 
must be made between the mild guarapito intended for the negro 
fair sex, and the achichadito, which, on account of its strength, was 
preferred by the rougher sex of the same colour. Chicha has the 
pre-eminence as the national beverage ; the Indians used it even 
under the empire of the Incas. ChicJia'h made of a sort of maize 
which is kept moist till it sprouts, and in that state it is called 
jora; it is then ground, and boiled in large kettles filled with 

(1) Picar, to eaitpicante. 
("2) See note, p. H7. 



128 



LIMA. 



water. The decoction is afterwards allowed to ferment, and as soon 
as this action ceases, the cJiicha is ready for use. In some of the 
mountain districts, the jora is chewed instead of being ground. A 
number of persons of both sexes, generally old, sit round in a ring 
in the middle of which is laid the maize to be operated on. Each 
person chews the corn by small handfuls and afterwards lays it to 
dry, previously to being boiled, as above stated. Some persons in- 
sist that the chicha prepared from jora thus chewed is better than 
that from ground /ora; and when the filtliiness of the proceeding is 
objected, they reply that fire is an efficacious purifier. 

Chicha is the drink preferred by the Indians of the mountains and 
the coast; but they nevertheless have a great liking for spirits. 




Ecstasy produced by chicha. 



Chicha, as already remarked, relieves the burning heat caused by 
pimento. All who like the picantes are also fond of chicha, which, 
though not alcoholic, still produces a certain derangement affect- 
ing the senses and the reason. 



LIMA. 



129 



MOURNING, FUNERALS, AND ANNIVERSARY SERVICES. 

Nothing certainly could be more wearisome than the old cere- 
monial practised for mourning, funerals, and anniversary services. 
Not only Avere they encumbered with an etiquette in the highest 
degree ridiculous, but it might truly be said that, under the lugu- 
brious appearance of a grief more or less feigned, the very memory 
of the dead was outraged in whose honour so much weeping and 
wailing was performed. 

We will not go back to the epoch when a funeral procession was 
composed of a crowd of monks, numerous friends and acquain- 
tances, and a long string of idlers, who, taper in hand, accom- 
panied the deceased to the church where the service was to be 
performed. We will not reveal the animated conversations in which 
friends and strangers retraced the life and the miracles of the 
departed in order to lavish on him praise or reproaches which al- 
ways concluded with these compassionate phrases : May God pardon 
him! He is dead at last, poor man I Nor will we detail the scenes 
which occurred during the breakfasts and las once{\)^ where the 
weeping family awaited the persons invited to funerals and the ser- 
vices at the first anniversary of the death. After beginning to eat 
with a countenance full of sorrow, and, for form's sake, heaving 
sighs which did not come from the heart, they pretended to drown 
their grief in repeated draughts of good liquor, then rose from 
table, after having totally forgotten the virtues of the departed whose 
loss Ihey had deplored. 

We will begin nearer to our own times, and relate the funeral cere- 
monies which were performed before black-bordered cards had reali- 
zed amongst us their work of reform, propriety, and civilization. 

On the second evening after the death, the corpse was removed, 
as it still is, to the church, followed in silence by the friends and 
most intimate acquaintances of the deceased. On the following 
day, the funeral service was performed between ten and eleven in 

(d) See note, p. 117. 

9 



130 



LIMA. 



the morning. At its close, the chief mourners, who, during the ce- 
remony, occupied the first places on the left, nearest the coffin, 
took their stand at the church door as the procession passed out, 
and then proceeded in carriages wilh some few friends to the ceme- 
tery, while the rest of the attendants went back to the house of the 
deceased and there awaited the return of the former. 

The wife and other women of the family also waited this return, 
assembled in a darkened room, in company with their female rela- 
tives and friends. When the mourners came back from the cemetery, 
the nearest relative entered the drawing-room and opened one or 
two of the windows. Then the sepulchral silence which had reigned 
for three or four hours was broken, but all the conversation was in 
a low and scarcely audible whisper. 

The mourning continued for a month; all the friends and con- 
nections deemed it their bounden duty to keep company with the 
afflicted family. The men remained in the ante-chamber, where 
conversation was permitted, but in a low voice; the women, all in 
deep mourning, sat in the drawing-room, gloomily lighted by the 
faint glimmer of a lamp covered with crape. The only sounds heard 
amongst them were sighs or doleful exclamations more or less af- 
fected; the widow or the mother wept and moaned, and it was the 
duty of the attendants to utter brief interjections of oh I oh! ah I ah! 
and make a noise as if they were diligently using their handker- 
chiefs. At eight in the evening the company separated. This was a 
critical and painful moment for the women; some one of them 
must be the first to break through the restraint of this silence and 
feigned grief, to salute the rest and retire, and she who had the 
courage to do this was called the chiavata (she-goat). It was there- 
fore very common to hear the remark : In ike mourning for Donna 
So-and-so, Donna N. N. was the chiavata. 

At present, though the religious ceremonies are performed in 
the same order, people are not expected to visit the family on the 
day of the funeral ; acquaintances merely leave a card, while rela- 
tives and intimate friends are received without any wearisome for- 
malities, and, all absurd manifestations of sorrow being suppressed, 



it 



LIMA. 131 

there is naturally greater sincerity in the language of sympathy and 
consolation addressed to the bereaved. 

The service for the repose of the soul of the deceased^ celebra- 
ted on the first anniversary of death, consisis of a mass which 
friends are invited to attend. It is usual to address invitations not 
only to one's connections but to all persons of note in the capital. 
As these letters request the attendance of the parties and of their 
friends also, the number of persons present depends much on the 
social position of the deceased. Some years since, the usage, was 
for the persons inviting to take their stand at the church door after 
the service and shake hands with each of the invited as they retired. 
This ceremony, which was very tedious for all concerned, has fallen 
into disuse ; and the invitations for such occasions now end with 
the phrase : The mourning will terminate without etiquette. 

The funerals of very young children used to be, and still are, fes- 
tive solemnities. 

Nothing can be more repugnant to the feelings of a parent than 
the custom, which may almost be called barbarous, of rejoicing 
over the death of a child. Civilization has already abolished this 
usage among the educated classes, but it still subsists among the 
lower orders, especially the Indians. 

When a child died, its body was dressed in the costume supposed 
to be worn by angels, including the palm and crown ; it was then 
put into a coffin lined with some gay colour, strewed over with 
flowers, and placed on a temporary altar. At night there was a wake 
with music, to which the friends of the family were invited. At 
midnight a supper was served for all present. Among the viands, 
was one regarded as indispensable ; this was the salpicon, consisting 
of meat and lettuces minced up together. On the morrow, the body 
was taken to the church where a musical mass was sung. At one 
time children were nearly always interred in convents of nuns. 

Though the religious service still continues the same, there is no 
longer any wake, or altar, or salpicon; people have ceased to rejoice 
over the loss of their children, which is doubtless a gratifying symp- 
tom of our social amelioration. 



132 



LIMA. 



JOURNALS. 

No people with any pretensions to civilization can now dispense 
with that important element of social life called a newspaper. Yet 
Lima, with its hundred thousand inhabitants, cannot support two 
daily papers. Since the first publication of the Comercio, which has 
attained the respectable age of twenty-one years, many other jour- 
nals have appeared, but have nearly all died in their early infancy. 
The Comercio alone suffices for all the requirements of Lima : it 
records the commercial movement of the capital, inserts all kinds 
of advertisements, publishes foreign news, opens its columns to 
political writers, and above all, enlivens its miscellaneous intelligence 
with a good sprinkling of personalities. Its pages offer, an arena in 
which the young writers of the day gather their first laurels ; prose 
or verse, or what is neither one nor the other, there finds a refuge. 
The Comercio already forms a collection containing the political, 
military, literary, and general history of nearly all Peru, as well as 
a rather extensive scandalous chronicle of private life. 

For the great majority of its readers, the chief merit of the Co- 
mercio lies in its numerous comiinicados (1). When these are few or 
tamely written, the Comercio presents no interest. 

Journals exclusively devoted to science or literature soon cease 
to appear from want of readers; but the people have a decided taste 
for satirical or aggressive writings, especially if they relate to poli- 
tics or attack the Government. On the other hand, it is certain that 
these flowers have their thorns, and that if the journal is well re- 
ceived, its editor is in danger of losing his liberty. 

NECROLOGY. 

No man is wicked after death is a truth that cannot be disputed, 
because death deprives men of the power of doing evil ; but this 
cause is not the only one. Very few depart this life without leaving 

(1) The name given to all articles of local interest not written by the editors. 



LIMA. m 

behind some one who loved, them ; and even he who has not had 
the happiness to find much affection during hfe, may, by means of 
a well-ordered will, lay the foundations of a brilliant posthumous 
reputation. In all parts of the world, grave-stones may be quoted in 
support of this assertion. No tomb has ever borne an inscription 
enumerating the vices or defects of its occupant ; such a thing would 
be a sin against charity or at least against gratitude. Every young 
maiden is, when dead, a model of purity and candour; every wife 
and mother an example of fidelity and maternal love ; every soldier, 
an illustrious defender of his country; every child, a hope cut off; 
every usurer, a christian at whose door the unfortunate never 
knocked in vain. Nowhere are the dead more lucky than at Lima. 
In fact, not only the tombstones of a great number record the vir- 
tues which the sculptor is pleased to ascribe to them, but we have 
also the Comercio which publishes for three or four weeks obituary 
notices written with the fervour inspired by friendship or by the 
editor's anxious desire to display his elegant and easy style. No 
one dies at Lima without the consolation of having a necrologist, 
unless he belongs to a very humble rank of life : however, we 
have seen the door-porter of a college write an obituary in verse 
on his unfortunate wife from whom he had been separated for 
more than twelve years on account of incompatibility of ideas and 
temper. 

A COMUNICADO (1). 

A comunicado is, or rather was, not long since, at Lima a cause 
of alarm and terror for the person against whom it was directed; 
but this perfidious and offensive arm has been and still is so much 
abused that it has lost its edge, and no longer has much effect either 
for good or evil. 

The most terrible menace that could be made against a procras- 
tinating debtor, a public functionary, or, indeed, any one from 

(1) See the preceding page. 



134 



LIMA. 



whom something was expected or claimed, was to say : / will put 
you in the Comercio; / will expose you in the public papers; I will 
give you a lashing in the press ; I will reveal your conduct to the 
public, etc. By means of a comunicado, the boldest man could be 
brought to terms, because, fearing for his reputation on the one 
hand, he was, on the other, compelled to defend himself, which is 
always an unpleasant necessity. The old formula of a comunicado 
was: " Mr. Editor, have the kindness to insert in the columns of 
your illustrious journal the following fact: Mr. So-and-so has com- 
mitted such or such an act; he is a rogue, a thief, etc." 

Mr. So-and-so would commence his reply by saying: " In your 
illustrious journal of the..., and under the head of..., Mr. N. N., 
who is no better than he should be, has assailed me with insults; 
those who know us both are well aware who is in the right; mean- 
while, if I have taken the trouble to reply, it is out of respect for 
the illustrious public, and not to please my libeller, whom I pro- 
foundly despise, etc." 

These comunicados, which at one time caused great annoyance 
and made many a man pass sleepless nights, now attract little no- 
tice and neither destroy nor make reputations. 

Some victims of the comunicado have adopted a brief system of 
defence, which has the advantage of cutting short the discussion at 
its very outset. They request the illustrious public to suspend its 
judgment on the facts imputed to them. Years and years elapse and 
the judgment of the public is thus suspended usque in cetermim, and 
the whole affair forgotten . 

As the most violent and offensive comunicado may be addressed to 
a journal by any person who engages to be responsible for its pu- 
blication, the comunicadista often throws the stone by the hand of 
another; then, if the individual insulted accuses him, he begs the 
editors to say that he was not the person who made or guaranteed 
the assertion in question. The editors can truly assert that the gentle- 
man accused neither sent nor guaranteed the fact; society is then 
bound to rest satisfied that he who wrote the communication is not 
its author. 



LIMA. 



135 



THEATRE. 

We have little to say on the only theatre which exists in Lima. 
The first dramatic performances in the capital of Peru took place 
about two centuries since. The most famous were those given in the 
parvise of the Cathedral. 

The first coliseum was erected in 1601, and its profits were des- 
tined for the hospital of San Andr6s. The theatre was often changed 
from one locality to another, till that now existing was built, in 
1614, at an expense of 62,132 piastres. 

In 1852 the Government, as already stated, gave the Beneficencia 
other property in exchange for the theatre. 

The building, both internally and externally, is unworthy of the 
capital of a prosperous State, and though for years past a project 
of erecting a new theatre has been under consideration, there seems 
little probability of early execution. 

The performances at the theatre are comedies and operas, with 
occasional exhibitions of conjuring and juggling. 

The circuit of the pit is forty-six varas and a half, and its depth, 
from the foot-lights to the entrance, seventeen varas and a half. It 
will seat six hundred and seventy persons. 

The boxes, of which there are three tiers, will accommodate six 
hundred more. There are also a gallery and some corner boxes, so 
that the theatre will hold in all about fifteen hundred spectators. 

COCK-FIGHTING. 

Such was formerly the rage for cock-fighting at Lima, that every 
day, and almost at any hour, groups of people might be seen in the 
streets standing in rings round couples of fighting cocks. The autho- 
rities were at last compelled to put an end to the disorder and dis- 
turbance caused by the quarrels of the artisans and servants, who 
neglected their occupations to attend these cock-fights, and the 
means adopted was the opening of a circus for this kind of amuse- 
ment. 



130 LIMA. 

Cock-fighting has been prohibited several limes on account of the 
disgraceful scenes and breaches of the peace which occurred in 
spite of the presence of the agents of authority who presided at 
the circus; but it has been authorized just as often as suppressed, 
and there are now cock-fights every afternoon. 

The more important fights, on which heavy bets frequently depend 
are announced to the public by posting-bills, and in the lifetime 
of Don Alejo, the celebrated chirimiista (player on the c/immia, a 
kind of hautboy), who unfortunately has lately died without leaving 




Announcing cock-fights. 



a successor to play his sonorous instrument, the streets were pa- 
raded by an orchestra composed of the said Don Alejo, another 
negro beating a drum, and a boy carrying, on his head, a cage with 
a fine game cock in it. 

The persons who take an interest in cock-fights are generally of 
the lowest order, but there are a few amateurs of the more respec- 
table class, and some of even Hie highest rank. 



LIMA. 



137 



BULL-FIGHTS. 

The Spaniards, says one of their poets, only want pan y toros 
(bread and bulls), and still more bulls than bread. It is therefore 
not at all surprising that a people of Spanish origin should have an 
extraordinary predilection for the barbarous amusement of witness- 
ing bull-fights. At Lima, this taste has been quite a passion, affect- 
ing all ranks from the viceroy to the very beggar in the streets. 

Bull-tights were one of the first amusements introduced by the 
conquerors, and were made the occasion of extravagant display. The 
first fights took place in the Plaza Mayor . No memorable event could 
ever happen at that period without being celebrated by bull-fights 
more or less magnificent, both with regard to the display made by 
the spectators and to the richness of the enjalmas (1) and other trap- 
pings with which the bulls were decorated, and the profusion with 
which the wealthy threw money to reward the address and daring of 
the toreros. 

After the erection of the Circo del Acho (2) bull-fights were for- 
bidden on the Plaza Mayor. The eagerness of the public to obtain 
seats was so intense that on Sundays, when the fights were to take 
place, the circus was filled at an early hour in the morning. The ec- 
clesiastical dignitaries, finding that these exhibitions caused the Li- 
manian catholics to forget the first command of Holy Mother Church, 
made an appeal to the civil authorities and induced them to have 
the bull-fights on Mondays, so that the people might not be kept 
fi'om church on Sundays. 

Por la manana a la misa, 

Y por la tarde al sermon ; 

Y a rezar las letanias, 

Al toque de la oracion (3). 

The people thenceforth attended the religious services of the 

(1) The enjalma was a kind of housing either velvet or satin, embroidered and 
fringed with gold or silver, to cover the back of the bull. 

(2) See page 72. 

(3) Mass in the morning; sermon in the afternoon; and prayers when the evening 
bell rings. 



d38 



LIMA. 



Snnday, but they lost their day's work on Monday, when even the 
viceroy gave himself a holiday. The judges in the law- courts termi- 
nated their sittings at one o'cloclv, and at the same hour the doors 
of the colleges and schools were thrown open. Who would believe 
that the priests and monks themselves (notwithstanding the papal 
excommunications) found their way to the Acho, and witnessed, 
with more or less secresy, the proceedings in the bull-ring? 

The fights are announced to the public by posters, then by 
handbills called listas, which are sold about the streets by boys 
who cry as they go along: "F... d... cularitadl (Vamos con las 



listas ! Here's is the bill of the performance !) i Quien quiere ver el 
primer toro que rompe la tardef (Who wants to see the first bull 
that will fight this afternoon?)" The last announcement, that which 
most excites the enthusiasm of the populace and decides all waverers, 
is the procession of the figuras and enjahnas. The former are large 
dolls in paper dresses, which are placed in the middle of the arena, 
and are the first objects of the bull's fury. These figures are so con- 
trived as to respond to the bull's attack by a discharge of crackers. 
The latter are a kind of housing, generally satin, embroidered and 
fringed with gold or silver. The sight of the enjalmas^ the sound of 
the drum and the accompaying chirimia (1) excite the delight of 
the Limanians to the last degree. 

(1) Engraving and note, p. 72. 




LIMA. 139 

No description could give an adequate idea of the shouting and 
uproar in the circus of the Acho during a bull-fight. With the loud 
conversations of the spectators arc blended the cries of number- 
less dealers : ice-men, pastry-cooks, fruiterers, sellers of water, 
brandy, sausages, ham, flowers, etc., who hurry up and down the 
seats, offering their wares simultaneously and screaming as loud. as 
they can. 

The performance always begins at two o'clock. Before a bull is 
let loose, and with the permission of the municipal alcalde, who 
presides on the occasion, all the toreadores parade round the arena 
after first saluting the authorities. 

At the same moment occurs the despejo, which consists in bril- 
liant military evolutions, executed by a corps of troops (1) : then the 
fight begins. The alcalde has a trumpet through which he speaks 
his orders, and the door of the toril is not opened till he shouts : 
i Saiga el toro (let out the bull) ! 

The principal feats of a bull-fight are : the capeo on horseback, 
which is only in use at Lima. In this attack the dexterity of the 
rider and the docility of the horse are displayed in a high degree. 
Though the majority of the toreadores have always been Spaniards, 
the capeo d caballo has never been executed by any but negroes and 
zamboSj natives of the country. The most highly prized and most 
valuable horses have been seen to take part in the fights at the Acho, 
confided to the unequalled experience and agility of the first ca- 
p)eador of our day, a negro named Estevan Arredondo. 

The capeo d caballo is performed in the following manner : the 
capeador takes his stand opposite the door from which the bull will 
issue, rendered furious by the narrow prison in which he has been 
confined for some short time previously and further irritated by 
the goad at the moment of release. Thus posted, the capeador, as 
soon as the bull appears, holds out the capa (cloak) and draws him 
towards the middle of the arena. When the bull's horns are about 



(1) The engraving at page 72 represents the Plaza de Acho at the moment of the 
parade executed by a corps of cavalry. 



iiO 



LIMA, 




Estevan Arredondo. 



to touch the flanks of the horse, the rider promptly wheels round 
his steed to the right or left, and the bull wastes his strength on the 



■vacant air. 




Negro capeador on foot. 



4 



LIMA. 



The other feats, called capeo d pie (on foot), banderillas, and es- 
pada (sword), are known in Spain; but the Spanish toreros do not 
surpass the negroes of Lima in these dangerous assaults. 

Another feat, quite peculiar to Peru, is the mojarras. Several 
Indians called mojarreros, armed with a kind of lance, throw them- 
selves on the ground, there to await the bull, and when he rushes 
on the group the Indians attempt to spear him wherever they can. 
The bull returns several times to the charge and treads the unfor- 
tunate mojarreros underfoot. Some times the animal takes one of 
them on its horns and plays with the poor fellow as a child might 
with a shuttle-cock : but the Indian does not give in, and, unless 
grievously wounded, always has his revenge. 

The mojarrero never enters the arena till the bull appears to him 
no larger than a dog. This optical phenomenon is produced in the 
mojarrero, not by means of concave glasses, but by drinking spirits. 
As soon as the fight begins, the Indians set to drinking : they ask 
each other at intervals how big the bull looks, and those whose 
sight is not yet deranged in the necessary degree reply : "Todavia 
estd grande; \echa otra copal — It is too big yet; let us take an- 
other glass!" 

What has always been, and still is, reckoned the best bull-fight? 
You must not suppose that the preference is given to one in which 
the toreros have evinced most address and the bulls most courage : 
amateurs require greater and stronger emotions. 

If several horses are dragged out of the circus dead, or at least se- 
verely injured; if there are a few iforero^ half disembowelled; if the 
Indian mojarreros have been tossed up into the air; in short, if there 
have been plenty of wounds and bloodshed, the day is considered 
brilliant, and if any one has been killed, the crowd will shout: 
' ' Completa I soberbia ! (Excellent ! superb !)" 

When a bull is killed, the carcass is dragged from the arena 
attached by the neck to a carretilla (a pair of low wheels) drawn by 
four horses. 



(1) Darts with streamers, which are thrown at the bull and stick in his skin. 



l.\2 LIMA. 

This is the proper place to mention a singular personage whose 
passion for bull-fights was almost a frenzy, and whose extraordinary 
address might be reasonably doubted by our readers if it had not 
been often witnessed by all the inhabitants of Lima. 

This individual lived under the protection of a negro whose func- 
tions at the circus del Ac/io were merely to put the neck of the dead 
bull in the collar Avhich fastened it to the carretilla. The negro's 
protege was always in attendance, and as soon as the dead bull was 
attached to the carretilla, he ran by its side with a speed equal to 
that of the horses. The door-way, through which the wheels were 
to pass, was so narrow that when the carretilla approached in a 
slanting direction our amateur could not run along-side without 
danger of being crushed against the wall. 

At this critical moment when all the spectators, by a simulta- 
neous cry, expressed their fears for their favourite's safety, the ob- 
ject of their solicitude would leap, with all the agility of a ropedancer, 
on the bull's carcass, and, cleverly maintaining his equilibrium, 
disappear from the arena amid the enthusiastic cheering of the 
crowd. 

Some four or five years since, the negro died, leaving his depen- 
dant to the care of Providence. The humble occupation of the for- 
mer had not allowed him to save money to provide for his heir. 
The whole body of toreros expressed a wish to take charge of the 
orphan : but he paid no attention to their offer, and determined to 
take his chance in the world without any other guide than his own 
caprice. 

His idle habits, neglected education, and ignorance of any trade, 
made him a vagabond, but one of the happiest that ever existed. 
Always lodged in the best hotels of Lima, and petted by the inha- 
bitants as well as by strangers, he passed his time lying on the best 
of sofas. He never staid more than a month at the same house. 
Contrary to their usual habits, the hotel-keepers supplied him with 
all he wanted and never presented their bill : to be sure, if they 
had done so, it would have been useless. For he never possessed 
any money or thought of payment. His passion for bull-fights con- 



LIMA. 



tinued through life as strong as ever. On the days when they oc- 
curred (Sundays now) he was always at the Acho by two o'clock; 
he accompanied the negro who had succeeded his master, and at- 
tended the exit of all the bulls to the last. 

His friendly intercourse with persons of fashion, and the confi- 
dence they placed in him, gave him such a relish for every kind of 
feast, that he was a constant attendant on all the public prome- 
nades. If he learned that there would be a crowd at Callao or at 
Chorrillos on the occasion of some public rejoicing, he would take 
his place in a first-class carriage on the railway, of course without 
paying. More than once he has been seen seated by the side of the 
President of the Republic in the state carriage. 

He was never known to speak even to the persons with whom he 
was most intimate. He never read a journal, poster, handbill, or 
any other announcement of public festivals or rejoicings, and yet he 
well knew the days for buli-fights, as well as the locality where 
any amusements were passing. But on no occasion did he ever visit 
the theatre. 

A Spanish torero took him one day to Callao, put him into a boat 
and carried him on board a steamer by which the Spaniard was 
going back to Spain. Our hero had never before been on board 
ship, and yet the excursion seemed anything but disagreeable to 
him; but as soon as the vessel began to move, he perceived how he 
had been tricked. Without the least hesitation, he jumped over- 
board and swam to the pier, where he was received by some mari- 
ners who had knov»n him at the Callao circus. From that time forth 
he would never go on board any vessel. An Englishman having 
attempted to kidnap him, he fell into a passion for the first time in 
his life, and, to recover his threatened liberty, gave his abductor a 
severe bite in the arm. 

This lucky mortal, who happily passed a life exempt from all 
care, paid the debt of nature two years since (in 1864). He died, 
but his memory will long survive; Lima, or at least the present 
generation, will not forget the penito negro del Acho (the little black 
dog of the Acho). 



144 



LIMA. 




Bull dragged off with the carreiilla. 



When the bull-fights used to take place on Mondays, the prome- 
nade of the Acho was crowded on the previous evening; the Alameda 
swarmed with people going to see the circus watered, an operation 
performed by negroes with watering-pots. The next morning, great 
numbers also assembled to witness the arrival of the bulls. 

The persons who did not choose to enter the circus usually 
passed the afternoon in the Alameda. Nothing could well be more 
diverting than the aspect of this promenade animated by the pre- 
sence of hundreds of tapadas (1), lavishing their graceful wit in the 
shrewd repartees for which the Limanian ladies are so famous. 
Protected by the veil, which effectually conceals them from all re- 
cognition, they gave free scope to their talent and genius, and many 
a dandy with great pretensions to wit has been obliged to abandon 
the field ashamed at the failure of his batteries. Nevertheless, with 
all this liberty of language, the tapada never forgot the good- 
breeding and dignity of her class : woe to the unfortunate or 
blundering wight who attempted to carry matters beyond the limit 
traced by the laws of polite usage ! 

The promenade on the Alameda del Acho has not the same attrac- 
tions now as it had ten or twelve years ago. 

(1) Ladies veiled with the manto. See engravings, pages 105, 106, and 107. 



< 




Jnip _.'^inf rcifT 8< [""f c^n Seaie ByTaj-is 



LIMA. 143 

The passion for attending bull-fights was formerly so overpowering 
in the inhabitants of Lima, that people thought themselves most 
unhappy if they could not procure, ^ven at a great sacrifice, the 
pleasure of seeing a bull die by the hand of a man or a man by the 
horns of a bull. 

To attain this end, many a working man with a large family, if 
he wished to preserve peace in his household, had to make all sorts 
of sacrifices in order to procure for his better half the sight of this 
cruel amusement. Gay women would pawn a jewel or a garment, 
and, what is scarcely credible, not a few of this class would even 
pledge their bed to raise money to attend a bull-fight. The rabble, 
quite as eager for the amusement, and less scrupulous, would pro- 
cure the necessary means by theft. 

In the galleries which surround the circus are stands occupied 




Chichera (c/a'cAa-seller) of the Acho. 



by retailers of brandy and chicha (a kind of beer); the crowd can 
therefore moisten their pleasures or drown their cares with intoxi- 

10 



146 



LIMA. 



eating liquors ; the excitement caused by repeated libations nearly 
always leads to quarrelling, sometimes to blows, and fatal conflicts 
are by no means uncommon on bull-fight days, 

The public authorities, ever zealous and vigilant, decreed that 
spirits should not be cried or sold within the walls of the Acho. 
Only the first part of this police regulation has been executed. 
Brandy is indeed no longer cried for sale ; the dealers now offer 
their liquors as agua de nieve (snow water), cebada con piila (barley 
and pine-apple), las suertes (the passes). 

As to the sale, the authorities have thought proper to make a con- 
cession to the dealers, who still vend the same spirits disguised under 
the names above given. 

NOCHES BUENAS (HAPPY NIGHTS). 

Just as in Spain the word rabon (long-tailed) is applied to an 
animal which has lost that appendage, so in Lima they call noches 
buenas those nights which in any other country would be rightly 
considered as intolerable. 

Twice in the year, on Holy Saturday and Christmas-eve, the 
principal square is decorated, or, to speak more correctly, made to 
assume the aspect of a village-green on a feast day, by erecting 
along its four sides a number of stalls or booths, ornamented with 
branches of willow, paper flags, and small Venetian lanterns. In 
the midst of this verdure and glare, may be seen hanging fowls, 
viands of all kinds, especially hams, sausages, etc. The stalls are 
covered with children's toys, porcelain, flowers, and cakes. The air 
rings with a thousand voices crying tamales (maize-flour cakes) and 
bizcoches (biscuits), in tones more or less discordant. The deafening 
noise of drums, whistles, and matracas (wooden clappers), summons 
the young generation to the scene where their parents' hard-earned 
coins are to be expended. Between ten and eleven the square begins 
to fill with people ; persons of all classes and conditions hurry to the 
spot — monks, soldiers, magistrates, the rich, the poor — in short 
every body in Lima visits the Plaza Mayor during the happy night 




'm p Len'L 



LIMA. 



147 



to enjoy the harmony produced by the piercing cries of the dealers, 
to hear the foul language of the populace half-drunk with pisco 
(brandy), and to inhale the perfumes of burning reeds and highly 
seasoned sausages. 

It is scarcely necessary to remark that every body feels bound to 
carry home something purchased there; that the youthful lover on 
that night pays any price that may be asked for a flower as a present 
to the idol of his heart ; that the grave papa expends two bolivianos 
in buying a toy for his son, though the same might be had at any 
other place and time for one quarter of the sum ; and lastly, that 
the obliging husband pays, without any audible murmur, for what- 
ever his dear wife may desire, though inwardly cursing the high 
prices of the happy night. After midnight, families generally re- 
turn to sup at home, eating either what they have purchased during 
their walk or what has been prepared by their own servants. It 
seems to be a general rule that all the dishes .eaten on these occa- 
sions should be fat, heavy, and indigestible. Some stomachs how- 
ever cannot support such food, and an attack of indigestion more 
or less dangerous is often the consequence. Thus, to walk about for 
two or three hours in the middle of the night, to have one's ears 
pierced with yells, and one's nose grievously offended; to have 
bought articles for many times their value, and lastly to have laid 
the foundation, perhaps, for a serious illness, is what people at 
Lima call passing a happy night. 

AMANCAES. — NATIONAL DANCES. 

On St. John's day, the 24th of June, the Limanians begin their 
excursions to the loynas (hills) oi Amancaes, about half a league from 
the Plaza Mayor. The landscape is beautiful : the high hills en- 
circling an extensive pampa (plain) are covered with magnificent 
verdure relieved with great numbers of large yellow flowers called 
amancaes, and an immense diversity of flowerets, among which the 
most remarkable is the San Juan, or St. John's flower, so called 
because it generally opens about that day. Scattered over the plain 



148 



LIMA. 



are numerous ranchos (farm-houses) where refreshments are sold. 
On Sundays and Mondays, when people assemble in greatest num- 
bers, there are harpers and guitar-players at these ranchos, and bails 
are generally impro\ised, in which polkas and mazurkas are un- 
known, and the zamacueca is the prevalent dance. 

The zamacueca was once the most popular national dance ; now 
that the gallop, the polka, and the whirling waltz have exiled from 
aristocratic abodes the minuet, i\\Qlondu, and the cachucha, the fa- 
vourite dances of our forefathers, the zamacueca has also been well- 
nigh excluded from family parties; nevertheless it still maintains 
its ground among the working classes, among gay women, and 
under the ranchos of the Amancaes. 

As we have thus been incidentally led to speak of our dances, 
we may be permitted here to say a few words about the masters of 
the choregraphic art who have gained some celebrity at Lima. 

In the Peruvian capital the profession of dancing-master used to 
be followed by none but negroes and zambos. They were classed in 
several categories. Some, in giving their lessons, used no other mu- 
sic than the voice; others carried a guitar with them; while the 
first-class masters used the guitars of their pupils. The first cate- 
gory, as a general rule, gave lessons to none but persons of their 
own class and colour, among whom figured the most popular dan- 
cing women (many of them under the protectioii of the senors oidores 
or judges of the Audiencia), who used to attend the famous mulatto 
balls. Among these masters, the most noted was a negro called 
Tragaluz (bull's eye), but whether this was merely a nickname or 
not, we are unable to say. He had the talent of imitating with his 
voice all the instruments of an orchestra, from the trombone to the 
flute. Tragaluz adopted a technology of his own for the steps he 
taught, such as Figura reale, Tras-pies circonflejo, Paso de sirenitaf 
Cohete de soga falso, etc. 

He also composed music for dancing, and his choregraphic works 
comprise the Londu floreado^ the Valse de aguas, and the Cachucha 
intencional. 

Among the masters of the second category, we must not forget 




kno Lemercier 8 C'° r,dc jciiie 57?ori 



LIMA. 



149 



Elejalde and Monteblanco, both negroes and of the deepest black. 
Elejalde was distinguished for the waltz and the zamacueca. Monte- 
blanco was a man of extremely refined manners; he rose to be the 
favourite professor of the senoritas of Lima, and was even engaged 
by several colleges. Wishing to give his language all the elegance 
which he considered obligatory on a professor having to deal with 
the highest classes of society, he affected a peculiar phraseology. 
For instance, in saluting one of his lady pupils, he would say : 
« Senorita, i como ha sufrido V. el cur so de anoche d acd ? (Miss, how 
has time passed with you from yesterday till now?) » To an inquiry 
about his own health, he would reply : « Combatiendo el tiempo y 
sus estragos, no he sentido detrimento, muchas gracias. (In resist- 
ing time and its ravages, I have experienced no detriment, many 
thanks ! ) » 

Maestro Martinez belonged to a still higher class. He did not, 
like Elejalde and Monteblanco, carry with him an enormous guitar 
decked with ribbons of all colours. Martinez was a negro, of rather 
handsome person, elegant in his manners, and always well-dressed. 
His pupils were the daughters of the highest families. 

We should be embarrassed to determine to what category belonged 
the celebrated Maestro Hueso , who died only a few years since. 
Possibly he possessed nimble legs and feet when he embraced the 
profession of dancing-master, but when we knew him, though still 
giving lessons, he was gouty and so crippled with rheumatism, that 
instead of dancing he could hardly walk. Hueso was a zamho, as 
tall as a grenadier. He always wore a black frock-coat, long and 
ample, yellow slippers, and a white cotton cap, over which he 
clapped a broad-brimmed hat. He used to visit his pupils on horse- 
back, and might easily have been taken for a ciriijano romancista 
(country doctor), had there not been apparent under his cloak, 
which he wore winter and summer, the end of the green bag hold- 
ing the violin from which this choregraphic Mathusalem could ex- 
tract very melodious sounds when giving his lessons. 

All these celebrities are now nearly forgotten. The polka and 
the waltz would seem to require no masters. The only professor of 



150 • LIMA. 

piruetas now in Lima is the Maestro Navarro, a zambo, who was 
originally a saddler, but he seems to have made the discovery that 
the frock-coat became him better than the leather apron, and that 
making pirouettes was a far more agreeable profession than han- 
dling the awl. 

After this slight digression , let us return to Amancaes. 

On certain days this promenade attracts a great concourse of 
people, comprising all classes of society. The excursion may be 
made on foot, in a carriage, or on horseback. Since the introduction 
of hackney-coaches, the halancin, a clumsy kind of vehicle drawn 
by two horses with a negro as a postihon, has disappeared from the 
scene. The balancins were equally used for airings in town and for 




The old balancin. 



journeys to Callao and Chorrillos. They were invariably drawn by 
horses as lean as hurdles ; so that it became proverbial to say of a 
man or an animal : es tan flaco como im caballo balancinero (as lean 
as a balancin horse). The balincinero (driver of a balancin) required 
to be a merry fellow and to know a good number of songs. In fact 
he never urged on his horses with the vulgar oaths familiar to the 
drivers of Spanish stages, but only with lively songs. 

The sefioras and caballeros of good society ride on horseback in 
the European style ; but the women of the lower orders sit astride 
like men, in spite of their gowns and petticoats. When a family 



LIMA. 



151 




' Zamba going to Amancaes, 

has only one horse at command, the husband mounts behind and 
gallops ^vith his wife. 

The exclusive dance at Amancaes is, as already stated, the zama- 




Negroes returning from Amancaes. 



LIMA. 



cueca. The orchestra is composed of a harp and a guitar. To these 
instruments is added a kind of drum, usually made of a wooden 
box, the boards of which are partially unnailed to render it more 
sonorous. It is played by striking on the parchment with the hands 
or with two sticks. The skill and good ear with which the negro 
beats the drum, keeps time, and animates the dancers, are really 
astonishing. As the cajon (big drum) is the soul of the orchestra, 
the zamacueca is commonly called the polka de cajon. 




Negroes dancing the Zamacueca. 



The music is always accompanied by the voices of two or three 
negroes ; and, at the end of each couplet, the dancers who can or 
will sing repeat the burthen in chorus. These finales are called 
fugas (fugues), and during their repetition, the movements of the 
dancers become faster and wilder. 

The zamacueca, though still retaining its choregraphic and musi- 
cal character, has undergone certain modifications and received 
different names, having been successively called the maisito, the 
ecuador, etc., and at present the zanguarana. 



LIMA. 



153 



The poets who write songs for the zamacueca are not of a very high 
order. The majority are the ^i^Vanv^to themselves, whose oulyia- 
spiration is brandy. 

CHORRILLOS, 

In the months from December to March, which are the hot sea- 
son at Lima, the weaUhier inhabitants of the capital migrate to 
Chorrillos to enjoy the freshness of the sea breezes. Those whom 
fortune has not favoured keep as cool as they can in the city : for 
such is the destiny of the poor, who, in every country have equally 
to endure the extremes of heat and cold. 

The empire of fashion must be indeed despotic to have made 
Chorrillos the resort of aristocracy and beauty. In spite of the new 
and sumptuous houses now seen there, the aspect of the place is 
unpleasing and even repulsive. The streets are narrow and crooked, 
and, owing to the absence of pavement, it is impossible to take 
a walk or ride without having one's clothes covered with dust and 
sand. 

What, then, is the attraction of Chorrillos? Why should it be 
the favourite residence of the aristocracy? Why should a man be 
considered nobody if he does not spend at least his Sundays at Chor- 
rillos? Why is it the rendezvous of all the loungers of the capital? 
Is the charm to be found in the temperature or in the sea? Nothing 
of the kind; but solely in the fact that the goddess Fortune has there 
established her temples; that the majority of the houses are so 
many battle-fields in which a constant struggle is maintained, day 
and night, between the worshippers of Mammon. At Chorrillos a 
fortune may be won in a day or two, or the savings of a year, nay 
of a whole life, may be lost in a single night. 

Chorrillos is indebted to General Castilla for its most important 
improvement — the terrace above the Barranco (ravine), which com- 
mands a charming view of the sea. During the fine summer even- 
ings, when the moon is shining in all her splendour, the numerous 



m LIMA. 

but yet select company which assembles there, and the military 
band, make that walk a truly delightful spot. 




View of the quay of Chorrillos. 



Before this terrace existed, the life of the ladies at Chorrillos was 
extremely dull and monotonous. During the evenings especially, 
they were condemned to solitude, while their lords and masters 
were revelling in the enjoyment of the innocent pastime offered by 
the gaming-table. 




View of General Pezet's rancho (couniry bouse). 



The houses at Chorrillos retain the name of ranchos (lodges), a 
word originally applied to the habitations of the Indians, who used 



LIMA. 155 

to let them as lodgings to families of Lima, during the summer 
season, reserving only just sufficient room for themselves. The In— 




Interior view of tlie garden. 



dians have already sold many of their ranchos, and on the sites 
handsome houses have been erected, which will bear comparison 
with those of the capital. The little palace of Senora Elguera is de- 




Pescadora of Chorrillos. 



156 



LIMA. 



serving of especial mention, as also General Pezet's house, which 
has been built and furnished with a splendour apparently without 
object at such a place as Chorrillos. 

The chief occupation of the Chorrillanos (Indians of Chorrillos) 
is fishing. The women carry the fish to Lima for sale, either at the 
market or in the streets. Before the railway was made from Lima 
to Chorrillos, the pescadora (fisherman's wife) acted as carrier and 
messenger to all the families of Lima. 

Some time elapsed before the Chorrillanas (women of Chorrillos) 
dared to venture on the railway. They were unable to conceive how 
carriages without horses could whirl along so fast, unless the devil 
had a hand in it. 

Even at the present day, the pescadora prefers the jog-trot of her 
mule, although the quiet animal takes three hours to go from 
Chorrillos to Lima. 

CARNIVAL. 

Among the ridiculous diversions which barbarism introduced 
among nations and the progress of civilization has not yet banished 
from all countries, must be classed the follies of carnival (Shrove- 
tide). 

Should we attempt to give an idea of what were the diversions 
of Lima only twenty-five years since, any one would suppose us 
bent on calumniating its inhabitants and representing them as ca- 
pable of indulging in excesses which, fortunately, have now disap- 
peared. 

Some days before the carnival, the police never fail to publish a 
notice forbidding any one to throw water from balconies on passen- 
gers, or to appear in the streets in disguises, under pain of penal- 
ties, which are never enforced. The soldiers composing the patrols, 
and the officers commanding them, are the first to feel the salutary 
effects of the order they are charged to put in execution. They 
never pass through a single street without being sprinkled more 
than once. 



LIMA. 157 

At present we see none of those bands which used to parade the 
streets, with faces hideously blackened and heads made to look 
like Medusa's or a demon's. The negresses and zambas no longer 
take possession of the kennels to roll in them men of their own 
class, and to drench with water all well-dressed people who would 
not pay toll for a free passage. However, it is even yet scarcely pos- 
sible to walk the streets without being inundated to some extent. 
The least to be expected is that your clothes will be soiled by a 
discharge of dirty water as you pass quietly along about your bu- 
siness. You may consider yourself very fortunate if a cold, or 
some more serious illness, does not send you to your bed to 
meditate at leisure, in forced repose, on the pleasures of car- 
nival lime. 

There are several kinds (^{refreshments in vogue during carnival, 
but the three principal are : the cataro.ia (1), the geringatorio (2), 
and ih.e progeccwn (3). 

The sefioritas get their servants to place on their balconies such 
a provision of water as almost literally to convert them into cataracts. 
The maids are not content to sprinkle you with a ewer or jug; they 
carry up pails quite full, and project the contents with all the force 
of their muscular arms. 

The wild young fellows who seek amusement in the streets carry 
with them large pewter syringes and bottles full of water; by means 
of these instruments, which seldom appear in public at any other 
time, they squirt water into the balconies. Those who shrink from 
using this portion of the apothecary's arms, parade the streets on 
foot or on horseback provided with small baskets containing egg- 
shells filled with scented waters, flour, or small sugar-plums. This 
last system has the advantage of breaking the windows, and, if the 
eggs are flung with a vigorous arm, they may occasionally knock 

(1) Catarata, throwing water, from a window or balcony, on the persons passing 
in the street. 

(2) Geringatorio, squirting water with a syringe. 

(3) Proyeccion, throwing of eggs or other missiles, as will be explained fur- 
ther on. 



188 



LIMA. 




Carnival geringatorio. 



LIMA. 



159 



out a young lady's eye, or leave her, in the middle of the face, 
some lasting souvenir of the carnival. 



In due course, these three days of folly come to an end : many 
dozen bottles of foul and offensive fluid (ironically called lavender 
water) have been emptied; some hundreds of egg-shells broken, 
many flasks of brandy drunk, and some little blood also shed, as 
the natural result of the quarrels and frays engendered by disorder 
and licence. But on Ash-Wednesday every body recovers his or 
her reason, to remember that the first man was taken from the 
dust of the earth, that we ourselves also are dust, and to dust 
must we return. On hearing the church bells, the most inveterate 
carnavalistas quietly proceed to the sacred edifice, and kneel before 
the priest , who marks a cross on their foreheads with ashes and 
water. The venerable matron, who has seen some fifty carnivals, 
would feel certain, if she had not a few ashes on her forehead, that 
tlie devil in person would take up Im abode in her heart. 




Lanzadores de huevos (egg-throwers). 



160 



LIMA. 



CARNIVAL COMPADRES (GOSSIPS). 

The usage of choosing compadres in carnival has disappeared 
from the upper classes, but still subsists among a certain set of 
persons as a means of extortion and imposition. On the Thursday 
of the last week but one before Shrovetide, the women look round 
among their acquaintance for those whom they think most gene- 
rous, and each comadrera (gossip) selects as many victims as the 
extent of her connections allows. At the cost of two or three piastres, 
or less, she prepares a tabla de compadres, which is nothing more 




Little negress carrying a regalo de compadrazgo (carnival present). 

than a large salver covered with fruit, flowers, and a few figures of 
burnt clay made in the country. But the essential emblem of the 
compadrazgo (gossipred) is a negrito (Httle negro), also of clay, con- 
taining a paper on which is written a decima, properly, a ten-line 
stanza of octosyllabic verse, though there are seldom more than 
four or five lines. 
The two following specimens will show what divinity inspires the 



LIMA. 



161 



poets who devote their muse to the composition of decimas de 
compadres : 

Mi querido compadrito 
De toda mi estimacion^ 
Te mando mi corazori;, 
Y tambien esle negrito. 

Quisiera tener talento 
Como tengo voluntad. 
Para hacerte conocer. 
Con este hermoso negrito,, 
Mi carino, compadrito (1). 

In most cases, the arrival of this present produces anything but a 
pleasant effect on the compadre. If he happens to be a man of limi- 
ted means, his embarrassment is all the greater, for the tabla must 
be returned on the following Thursday. As the object of the com- 
padrazgo is well known, and, on the other hand, pride will not 
allow him to accept the gift without making some return, he of 
course sends back a gown-piece, or some other article, worth ten 
or perhaps twenty times more than the present he received from 
his comadre. 

It is considered indispensable that the negress who carries the 
decima should be as handsomely dressed as represented in our en- 
graving. 

ALL SOULS' DAY. 

On the 1st of November, the festival of All Saints, and the eve of 
All Souls, great numbers of people flock to the Pantheon or Gene- 
ral Cemetery. 

1) My dearly loved gossip. 

Who hast all my esteem, 
1 send thee my heart 
And also this little negro. 

1 would fain have the talent 
As I have the good will 
To make known to thee, 
WitL his sweet little negro, 
My fondness, dear gossip. 



LIMA. 



We know not what pleasure can be felt in visiting this gloomy 
abode of the dead, where people ought to go only to shed a tear or 
breathe a sigh to the memory of a relation or a friend. But the fact 
is certain, that sorrow is the feeling least apparent on the counte- 
nances of the visitors, and that their minds are occupied with any- 
thing rather than the thoughts of eternity. In the cemetery, as in 
any other public place, the young gallant pays his court to the fair, 
and the coquet endeavours to engage the attention of admirers, 
by displaying to the best advantage her personal charms and her 
elegant toilet. 

There is nearly always a ridiculous side even to the most serious 
and solemn of human affairs. The ludicrous abuses which have 
crept into many religious acts will often excite a smile. On All 




Priest soliciting alms for souls in Purgatory. 

Souls'day, the cemetery of Lima is frequented by numbers of priests 
and young monks canchadores who make a trade of reciting the res- 
ponses for the souls of the dead. They are not ashamed to oppose 



LIMA. 



163 



each other as briskly as the -lowest petty dealers. If one offers his 
prayers for a real, another will take half a real, and some will even 
throw in three for a real. The Indians of both sexes, who think 
their relatives' souls may be delivered from purgatory by abundant 
prayers, are the customers who give most employment to the jaws 
and tongue?, of the canc/mdores . According to the proverb : Como va 
lapaga, va la ohra (literally: as goes the pay, so goes the work), they 
curtail their prayers to the brief formula : Ne recorderis peccala 
me a... Hool hool... hool... in pace, amen. 

During the evening of All Saints and the whole day of All Souls, 
the bells of every church toll continually for the souls of all the 
Christian dead throughout the world. We still see at the doors of 
some churches the hideous display of calaveras y canillas (death's 
heads and cross-bones), for the purpose of stimulating people to give 
alms, ostensibly for prayers to be said for souls in purgatory, but 
which undoubtedly also profit some few souls that have not yet 
left this vale of tears. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The physicians of Lima resemble those of other countries where 
there are good ones. The literary and scientific studies determined 
by the regulations of public instruction, as necessary to confer the 
right of dispatching souls to the other world, secundum artem, and 
in accordance with the principles of Hippocrates, inspire society 
with sufficient confidence to place itself in the hands of these angels 
of consolation. A very different state of things existed some eighty 
years ago. At that period, to be received among the disciples of 
Galen, all that was necessary was to have the inclination and to 
be a ifegro. 

If the venerable fathers of medicine could, in the year of grace 
1800, have made acquaintance with their brethren in Lima, they 
would certainly have disavowed their profession, with the regret of 
having written their gigantic folios to no purpose. 

As far back as our memory reaches, we must declare that, with 



164 



LIMA. 



the exception of the respectable physicians named Unanue, Tafur, 
Heredia, Paredes, and two or three others more or less white, the 
fairest complexion to be seen among the rest was of the colour of 
cinnamon. The noble caballeros of Lima looked upon the profes- 
sion of medicine as unworthy of them ; the two callings which the 
master generally reserved for the sons of his slaves, when spoiled 
by the society of the seiioras, were those of doctor and footman. 

According to the regulations of that period medical men were 
divided into three distinct categories : 1. the cirujano romancista 
(surgeon who does not know Latin), who could only treat external 
maladies by ordering topical remedies and plasters, and internally, 
whey or chicken-broth at the most ; 2. the cirujano latino (surgeon 
knowing Latin) who was permitted to prescribe for more serious 
cases, to practise serious operations, such as amputations of limbs, 
and to order purgatives; 3. and lastly, ihemedico (physician proper), 
who might make use of drugs of all kinds, without restriction, and 
undertake the treatment of all sorts of diseases. 

The cinijaiio romancista was received after a few months' practice 
at the hospital, and provided he were able to distinguish the cases 
in which a poultice of marsh-mallows was preferable to one of 
bread and milk, he was sure to obtain his diploma from the worthy 
tribunal of the protomedicato. 

The cirujano latino was bound to acquire some degree of skill in 
the use of the bistoury and the probe, and to have some little 
knowledge of anatomy. 

The medico was the ne plus ultra of the science. According to the 
denomination which the Spaniards gave to the men of that pro- 
fession, the cirujanos and medicos were called fisicos (physicians). 

Lima still preserves a vivid remembrance of many of its former 
cirujanos and medicos. The celebrated surgeon, Roman, will espe- 
cially pass down to the most distant posterity. By some he was called 
Doctor Pescado frito (fried fish), and by others el Doctor de las 
Negritas. He owed his first appellation to the resemblance of his 
lean and pointed face to the head of a fish, and the second to his 
invariable politeness to young negresses. If the fisico Roman over- 



LIMA. 



16S 



took a cookmaid returning from market with her basket full of pro- 
visions, he would pull up his horse to say to her: Senorita, ayudare- 
mos d llevur la cdrgu (allow me to assist you in carrying your basket). 
Roman was a cinijano romancista; his name and countenance 
scarcely permitted him to be anything more, but he was a doctor, 
duly graduated, of the Royal and Pontifical University of 5^. iltfi^rco.s- 
of Lima. 

Nothing could be more curious than the appearance of Doctor 
Roman on state days, when there was an official assembly. The 
Doctor attended as a member of the illustrious university corps. 
Imagine a man almost black, of middle stature, thin, with a head 
half covered with grey wool, prominent eyes, hollow cheeks, a 
large mouth, and enormous ears; dressed in a green coat, the col- 
lar of which rose above the nape of his neck ; wearing a cravat of 
red silk^ the ends of which were passed through a ring ornamented 
with an immense stone of the colour of a sapphire; a waistcoat of 
embroidered velvet; trowsers of brown cloth, but which he never 
allowed to descend below his ankles, in order to show off his silk 
stockings; black velvet shoes with silver buckles, a cocked hat 
with silk tassels, and the doctor's ermine on his shoulders; silk 
gloves with the ends of the thumb and fore-finger cut off for con- 
venience in taking his pinch of snuff; on the index finger, over 
the glove, the traditional ring of the fisicos (that of Doctor Roman 
was of brass with a big topaz of the same category as the sapphire 
in his cravat), and lastly, a short piece of whalebone for a cane, and 
an idea may be formed, although incomplete, of the type, unique 
in its kind, of the Doctor de las Negritas. 

The appearance of the doctor on horseback was not less singular; 
he always had horses so lean that the poor beasts seemed as hollow 
as violins. One day he thought he had discovered the secret of fat- 
tening his favourite animal by giving it gelatine. He administered 
that luxury mmgled with corn and bran, the whole steeped in wa- 
ter, but the corn and bran were added in such small quantities 
that the ungrateful Rossinante preferred to die rather than get fat. 
The doctor of former days was easily to be distinguished ; a man 



106 



LIMA. 




The doctor of the olden times. 



ounted on a mule or a raw-boned horse ; in winter, wrapped in 




'{^ The doctor of the present day. 



I. 




DMANUEL ODRIOZOLA 

Professor of the Lima School of Me deems 



LIMA. 



167 



mense parasol ; wearing a black hat of cylindrical form, and bearing 
on his fore-finger a ring generally set with diamonds, was invariably 
a doctor. 

At present, if anything serves to distinguish a doctor from the 
rest of mortals who ride through the streets on horseback, it is 
the elegance of his exterior and the beauty of his steed; for, living 
at a period in which time is money,' he no longer travels at a mule's 
pace but at a horse's gallop. 

From the above description, one might imagine that human life 
in Lima was exclusively abandoned to ignorant and ridiculous 
charlatans. Happily such was not the case. From the midst of this 
obscure crowd arose men of talent, who, by their unceasing study, 
have attained as great eminence as was possible in a country then so 
distant from Europe. Doctors Valdes, Davila, Faustos, and others 
besides, were men of colour, but succeeded in gaining a distin- 
guished position as practitioners of great merit. Doctor Montero, 
generally called el Doctor Santitos, a negro as black as jet , was 
born with a genius for surgery. Nature seemed to have destined 
him for that profession; for, instead of the huge and horny hands 
which are generally a mark of men of the negro race, his were 
small, delicate, and soft as those of aserlorita. His sight was keen 
and his hand steady even at the age of sixty. He acquired by means 
of his constant efforts and long studies such skill in the most deli- 
cate and difficult operations that foreign surgeons who have known 
him were astonished to see him so well acquainted with the pro- 
gress of surgery and so expert in the use of the most recently in- 
vented instruments (1). 

THE SOLDIER. — THE RABONA. 

In many other countries, the soldier is no doubt better disciplined 
and more warlike than in Peru, but nowhere is he more obedient, 

(1) We have already sliown at what period the science of medicine began to acquire 
a real importance in Pern. See pages 47-49. 



168 



LIMA. 



patient, and uncomplaining under hardships. The Indian, taken from 
his habits of idleness and inertness, endures the hardest fatigues of 
the soldier with the most heroic resignation. The Peruvian army, 
notwithstanding the laws on recruiting and conscription, and in 
spite of the pompous decrees which forbid forced enrolments under 
the most severe penalties, repairs its losses and completes its batta- 
lions by taking the men it requires wherever they may be found. 
In this matter, as in many others, the constitutional guarantees are 
purely chimerical, for they do not prevent recruits from being 
taken with the lasso like wild animals, marched from village to 
village under strong escort, and formed into corps to which the 
name of volunteers is given , apparently without the least sense of 
the inappropriateness of the term, 4 




Indian foot soldiers. 



The Indian thus recruited arrives at his regiment, is incorporated 
in a company, where he is subjected to all the rigour of discipline 



LIMA. 



169 



and learns the exercise necessary to make him a worthy defender 
of the good cause and the national sovereignty. 

An old Spanish proverb says : la letra con sangre entra (the lesson 
must be beaten in with the rod, or literally, the letter enters with 
the blood). The sergeant's stick is charged with the practical appli- 
cation of this principle. A large number of Indians enter the ser- 
vice without knowing a word of Spanish; they however very soon 
acquire tolerable proficiency in the use of their arms. 

An examination of military corps, commanded by intelhgent chiefs 
who understand their profession, will show that the soldier, in 
his bearing, whether in the field or at drill, possesses the expe- 
rience and freedom of movements peculiar to veterans — a fact which 
proves that the most uncultivated Indian is endowed with great fa- 
cilities for learning the military art. 




Infantry soldiers on the march. 



With respect to fatigue, the Peruvian soldier may defy all the sol- 
diers in the universe. He traverses, by forced marches, the most 
burning sands and the coldest heights, and supports hunger and 
thirst in an incredible manner. Ten or twelve leagues over rugged 
and dangerous paths are not too long a march for the Indian, and 
cause him no weariness. Being excessively sober, a little coca. 



170 



LIMA. 



roasted maize, or a few boiled potatoes are sufficient food to reno- 
■vate his strength. After long marches, almost without clothes, and 
after suffering all sorts of privations, he fights with courage on the 
field of battle, if his chiefs will only set him the example. 

The Indian obeys and fights, without knowing whom he is serving 
and for whom he is shedding his blood, and without any other idea 
than that of fulfilling a duty imposed on him, not by reflection, 
sense of duty, or patriotism, but by fear alone; he defends his flag 
or abandons it, just as his chiefs follow or betray it. 

The Indian is a fatalist, pusillanimous and indolent ; he takes 
his stand firmly on the field of battle, and will not give way, if no 
one else does; he sees his comrades fall around him without feeling 
the least emotion, even should they be his nearest relatives; but if 
he receives the slightest wound, he will not fire another shot. 

The Indian loves the hut which serves as his home, and in which 
he lives tranquilly in idleness. If he is torn from it by force, he ne- 
ver forgets his poor cabin, and itany thing should occur to remind 
him of his home, he takes advantage of the first opportunity that 
arises to return to it. The musical instruments with which the In- 
dian is acquainted and which he plays best are the violin, the tam- 
bourine, and a sort of flute which he makes himself out of a large 
reed. The flute is well adapted to the melancholy and sentimental 
music which characterizes the yarabi, or native song of Peru, by 
means of which the inhabitant of the mountain expresses his 
feelings of love or affliction. 

There are few Indians who do not play the flute. When the sol- 
dier, far from his hut, hears the tender wailings which issue from 
that instrument and remind him of his dear yarabi, melancholy 
seizes on him and he deserts to return tojiis cabin. There are offi- 
cers who do not allow the soldiers lo keep this flute, and fear its 
sounds more than any other possible cause of desertion. 

The necessary adjunct to the Peruvian soldier, and without 
which he would have neither resignation nor valour, is the rabona. 

The 'rabona is the soldier's female companion. She is not always 
his legitimate wife, for many of the men leave their spouses in the 



LIMA. Hi 

village and choose raboms, who hecorae their companions in the 
field. 

In the Peruvian regiments there are no canteen women ; indeed, 
they would be useless, as each soldier possesses a servant who pre- 
pares his dinner while on the march, at the camp, or in barracks. 




The Rahona in barracks. 



The rabom is also the soldier's washerwoman; she moreover 
takes care to rid his head of those troublesome guests which infest 
the woolly hair of the Indian. 

The rabona is as insensible to fatigue as the soldier; she follows 
him every where and accompanies him on his marches, however 
long and painful they may be; her place is with the rear-guard of 
the corps to which he belongs. The soldier who endures so pa- 
tiently hardships of all kinds, could not support the absence of his 
rabona. 

The officers have sometimes wished to prevent these women from 
following the troops; but they always found that the men became 
more irritable, and desertions more numerous. 

In the field, the rabonas are like clouds of locusts to the districts 
through which they pass, for they will find food for their soldiers 
by some means or other. On the march they carry on their shoul- 



172 



LIMA. 



ders all their kitchen utensils, the little dirty linen they possess, 
and their child, if they have one, while in their arms they hold a 
filthy dog for which they have as much affection as for their heroes, 
if not more. 

The rabona is much more attached to the flag than to the man ; 
if the latter falls while fighting, she drops but few tears over him, 
but she sheds them abundantly, if for some cause or other she is 
forced to quit her battalion. 




The Rabona on Ihe inarch. 



In return for such marks of affection, the soldier combs his ra- 
bona; he walks out with her on holidays ; he treats her to chicha 
and sometimes to a summary correction. The French proverb, Qui 
aime bien, chdtie bien is an axiom for the women of the mountain; 
as they think, the love of a man for a woman must be measured by 
the number, frequency, and force of the blows she receives from 
him. The rabona has a lively faith in this principle, carried almost 
to fanaticism. The soldier and his companion have a weakness for 



LIMA, 173 

chicha, which they often drink to intoxication. It is quite natural 
then that the Indian should wish to give his helpmate proofs of his 
tender affection. 

The kicks, cuffs, blows with stones, hair-pulling and other caresses 
of the same kind received by the poor Indian woman, often reduce 
her to a pitiful state; blood flows from her nose, while her face 
and head are swelled from the blows showered on her. But woe to 




A soldier combing his rahona. 

any one who, fromafeeling of compassion, should attempt to inter- 
fere in that love-scene ! The Indian woman, who scarcely murmurs 
under her chastisement, flies into a rage at the officious mediator 
and apostrophizes him with : "Mind your business I He has a, right 
to beat me; am I not his wifeV 

In general, the rabona belongs to the infantry; as the cavalry corps, 
being composed almost entirely of negroes and zambos from the 
coast, the women of their villages have neither the strong passions, 



174 LIMA. 

nor the self-denial and robust vigour peculiar to the women of the 
mountains. 




A Zambo, or cavalry soldier. 



GUARDIANS OF PUBLIC ORDER. 

At the period when lamps in the streets were rare , but thieves 
were common (1), the safety of life and property depended on the 
strong arm of the owner. 

The terror of the pacific inhabitants of Lima at length reached 
such a pitch, that the residents of each district resolved to unite to 
form patrols. Consequently, every evening, ten or twelve men pa- 
raded the streets, some armed with pistols others with swords, and 
many with sticks only. But the persistence of the robbers ultimately 
tired out the patrols, and numerous complaints addressed to the 
authorities gave rise to the famous cov^?> oi mcajMclos {T), charged 
with pursuing malefactors. 

(1) Sec tlie article El Felero (the candle-seller), pages 20S and following. 

(2) So called from capa, a sort of cloak. 



LIMA. 



173 



The encapados wore a round hat and a black cape, and carried 
a coil of rope for pinioning thieves. Before long, the citizens had as 
much cause to dread the encapados as the robbers ; for the latter, to 
assure perfect impunity for their misdeeds, enrolled themselves in 
the corps of encapados, which stratagem procured for them the au- 
thorization to carry arms, as well as a disguise. 

The encapados were subsequently replaced by the serenos (watch- 
men) who werestationed at the corners of the streets, which they were 
ordered to traverse from time to time. They had also to call out every 
hour the stale of the weather. The sereno performed this portion 
of his duties as watchman by crying out hourly : " / Ave Blaria puri- 
sima I (Hail ! purest Mary!) [Las diez han dadol (Past ten o'clock!) 
/ Yiva el Peru! y sereno [p lloviendo, etc.) (Peru for ever! and a fine 
(or wet) night, etc.) 

The serenos wore a broad-brimmed hat and short cape, and car- 
ried a gun. They were to pass the night without sleeping, but the 
greater part leaned against the corners of the streets and slept 
standing. Sometimes, on awaking, they found that a thief had car- 
ried off their gun. The serenos also had a whistle, which they 
blew every half hour ; this signal had the advantage of serving as a 
warning to the thieves, who had time to escape when they heard the 
summons for the serenos to assemble. 

The corps oi serenos underwent several reforms. They were after- 
wards called vigilantes, and the people gave to them the name of 
corbatones (big cravats). Later, they were entitled celadores (inspec- 
tors), and at present they have received the name of celadores bom- 
beros (firemen), because they are charged with the service of the fire- 
engines. The lower classes of the people, seeing that they knew little 
of tire, except that produced by the consumption of brandy, called 
them celadores bombistas, that is to say, ivho pump often — the bottle. 
The celadores have two uniforms, one for every day and the other 
for reviews; the latter resembles that of the Paris firemen. 

The celador of the present day is neither the rascally encapado, 
nor the idle sereno; he is a man of a better class, and passes his 
time seated at the door of a pulperia (grocer's shop), reading the 



176 



LIMA. 




Celador in full dress. 



newspapers and discussing politics. An affair must be very serious 
to excite the attention of the celador; nevertheless, although there 




LIMA. 



177 



still remains much to be done , the police-service has considerably 
improved during the last few years. 

The celadores are charged with enforcing the strict execution of 
the police-regulations concerning the cleanliness of the streets, the 
free circulation in the thoroughfares, and the observance of public 
decency. 

For the pursuit of malefactors outside the city, and in the rural 
districts, a brigade of mounted police has been organized. 



Mounted Policeman. 



EL AGUADOR (THE WATER-CARRIER). 

Before the creation of the Empresa de Agua (Water-works), an 
enterprise which has proved very profitable to the shareholders, the 
people of Lima had great difficulty in obtaining a supply of that 
article under the despotic monopoly of the aguador. We say despotic, 
and not without reason, for persons who were in want of water 
could not procure it, if the aguador would not supply them. We 
have also said monopoly, because no one could take water at the 

12 



178 



LIMA. 



public fountains to sell, except the registered aguadores of each 
parish. 

Servants could only take it for the requirements of their masters, 
and the poor for their own consumption. 

The registering of an aguador was an important ceremony. The 
candidate was bound to present a flask of brandy to his colleagues, 
and to pay to the alcalde the dues of media anata (1), amounting 
to fourteen reals. The water-carriers of the parish received the 
new member of their society on the plazuela (square), all stand- 
ing round in a circle, in the midst of which were the alcalde, his 
clerks, and the probationer. The flask of brandy was passed from 
hand to hand until not a drop remained. All the company talked 
and shouted at the same time, which produced a terrible hubbub. 
The libations being terminated, the newly elected member was 
instructed in his duties, and then made to swear fidelity and obe- 
dience to the alcalde. 

The aguador of one parish could not take water from the foun- 
tains of another. 

The aguadores were divided into two categories, those on foot and 
those who were aided by a donkey. The former carried a small 
barrel on their shoulders; the latter slung two casks across the 
back of one of those intelligent and patient animals which man 
so unjustly stigmatizes as the embodiment of stupidity. 

It will be readily understood that the aguador who possessed a 
donkey was of a higher class than those who went on foot, either 
because a larger capital was necessary to set up in business, or 
because, being perched on his ass, he was in a more elevated po- 
sition. The aguador on foot required only a leather apron, while the 
monwia^ aguador had to first obtain his donkey, then a pad com- 
posed of a number of thicknesses of stout linen covered with pieces 
of cloth of some bright colour, panniers to hold his pair of water 
casks, a little bell to announce that his casks were full, a long stick, 
which he made use of to vault on to his donkey's back, and lastly a 

(1) Fine paid on nomination to any office or functions, 



LIMA. 179 

cow's rib to tickle the hide of his steed when it did not move along 
fast enough. The extremities of the stick showed to which category 
the agmdor helongad ; the ferrule at one end and the forked iron 
handle at the other represented nothing less than the dictatorial 
power of the alcalde. 




Mounted aguador. 



The aguador on foot required, as we have already said, nothing 
more than a leather apron; the mounted aguador wore, and still 
wears, the same apron, but beneath is a white or coloured shirt 
more or less artistically ornamented, according to the pecuniary 
resources of the individual. The aguador always carries the scapu- 
lary of Our Lady of Carmel, and a leathern purse, in which he for- 
merly kept the ticket showing his exemption from the conscrip- 
tion, and the amount of his day's receipts; at present, the purse 
contains the money only. 

That the ass is an intelligent animal ; tliat by means of training 
and the stick he sometimes attains the highest degree of knowledge 
within reach of his species, is a fact proved by examples in all ages 
and by the writings of numerous historians. From the time of Ba- 



m 



LIMA. 



laam's ass down to that of Chorrillos (1), history records a series of 
donkeys which, if they had only been able to speak, might have 
taken part in certain literary or scientific competitions with a fair 
chance of success. If the truth of the above were not already de- 
monstrated, the aguador's donkey would furnish an eloquent proof. 

The aguador, who is generally a negro or zambo, may truly be 
said to take more care of his ass than of his own children. His donkey 
is the object of his most tender solicitude; he would not carry home 
a cake for his child , but for his animal he picks up the rind of 
water-melons and any other delicacies of the same kind he may 
happen to see. This at least proves that the negro is grateful. 

The donkey is not only charged with the weight of the water- 
casks, to which is added that of his master, but he is an auxiliary 
without which the aguador cannot rank among the mounted agua- 
dores; in fine, he supports the burthen of the entire family, and 
may almost be regarded as {\xq paterfamilias of the household. The 
aguador commences his daily labour by grooming his donkey; he 
then gives it a ration of lucerne; afterwards, with the patience of a 
good nurse, he spreads on its back several layers of thick cloth to 
protect its shoulders ; above that he lays one or two pieces of stout 
carpet and then the panniers for the water-casks. Some aguadores 
decorate the head of their animal with ornaments and blinkers of 
brilliant colours. Thus harnessed, the donkey receives his master and 
then proceeds towards the fountain. The sound of the bell announ- 
ces, as we have already said, that he has water for sale, although in 
the good old times of the monopoly that signal was a complete 
mockery. On hearing the bell, thecookmaids, servants, or housewives- 
cried out to the negro : ''Aguador, echeme U. un viage (bring me 
up a load)," and although, according to the municipal ordinance, the 
load, that is, the contents of the two casks, should be charged only a 
half real, the aguador would reply : '•'■Estd vendio or un rrial vale. (It 
is sold, or, the price is a real.) " Then a dispute arose between the 
buyer and seller, but the victory was always obtained by the latter. 



(1) See page 107 and follo-wing, on religious festivals. 



LIMA. 



181 



who rode off with his donkey, refusing to sell his merchandise. The 
demon of thirst \% a tyrannical one, and will not be trifled with. The 
aguador always imposed his conditions. The persons who occupied 
the upper stories of the houses were put to much inconvenience and 
embarrassment from the custom of the aguador io reply to them, 
"iVo trepo escaleras (I do not carry water up stairs)." 

In the season when water was scarce, the aguador, who perfectly 
understood Ihe doctrine of political economists " that prices are 
regulated by the demand and supply," would ask what he pleased 
for a load of water and always obtained what he demanded. 

But as there is no perfect happiness in this rascally world, the 
sovereign will of the aguador was counterbalanced by the still more 
sovereign will of the parish alcalde. The authority of this official 
was supreme, and his penal code so severe that if the punishments 
had been inflicted on any other than a negro aguador, pity might 
have been excited for the victim. 

The principal modes of punishment were two in number: for a 
slight irregularity, the aguador was temporarily deprived of the right 
of exercising his calling, but for a serious offence he was con- 
demned to the onmeladura (honeying). This penalty was a raodifica- 




Aguador enmelado. 



tion of the emplumadura (feathering), which, to the glory of God 
and Christianity, Ihe Holy Inquisition inflicted on heretics. The 



182 



LIMA. 



temporary privation, as the expression indicates, was a prohibition 
for the culprit to sell water during a certain time. The enmeladura 
consisted in placing the man on the ground between his panniers 
and water-casks, pinioned in such a manner that he could not 
move hand or foot; his face and breast were then thickly smeared 
with honey to attract the flies, care being taken to expose his face 
directly to the rays of the sun. 

We must here remark that such punishments were not inflicted 
for misdemeanours or cheating to the prejudice of the public, but 
for insubordination towards the alcalde or his agents; for quar- 
relling with fellow aguadores, or for selling water out of the parish. 

Happily, the penal code of the water-carriers no longer exists; it 
is only known by tradition, though the time when it was in force 
is not very remote. 

Let us now leave the aguador and return to his assistant. 

Many houses made contracts with their aguadores; as soon as the 
donkey had been two or three times to a caseira (customer's house), 
he no longer required to be shown the Avay ; the water-casks being 
placed on his back, he would proceed, of his own accord, and at 
the precise hour, to serve the customer. 

1 am not aware wliether physiologists or phrenologists have ever 
remarked the particular affection of the donkey for the military 
art. The asses of the aguadores oi lAmdi have given frequent proofs 
of this inclination. There still exists (1866) in the parish of San 
Marcelo an old aguador, whose donkey, the senior of his tribe, obeys 
orders with the precision of a soldier. 

On arriving at the fountain and the water-casks being placed on 
the ground, the negro cries : Descansol (rest!) and the animal lies 
down until the barrels are filled. When ready, at the word : Firmesl 
the donkey is again on its feet. When laden, it obeys the commands 
of I Paso regular I (Steady march); paso redoblaol (quick march!) 
d la izquierl (to the left!); fluent...! (front); altol (halt!), etc. 

In the parish of the Sagrario or Plaza Mayor, there lived not long 
ago an aguador named No Cendeja, who was well known from 
having been successively the slave of a judge and a canon, in which 



LIMA. 



183 



service he had picked up sufficient Latin to excite the jealousy of 
a parish priest. ^Cendeja had also been a soldier; he had preser- 
ved his military tastes and above all a great love for the uniform. 
By a rare coincidence his donkey shared these two predilections. 
When the animal heard the sounds of military music, he commen- 
ced braying lustily. Now let those persons who refuse to admit that 
donkeys possess any sort of intelligence, furnish an explanation of 
the following phenomenon . 

Rarely a day passes without some military band passing through 
the streets of Lima. When the music simply accompanied a relief 
of guards, an escort, or a regiment on the march, Cendeja's donkey 
confined itself to braying; but if it announced the proclamation of 
a decree de huen gohierno (literally: of good government), nothing 
could prevent the animal from following the herald through the 
capital. Neither coaxing, fresh lucerne, nor blows were of any avail. 
It would break into open revolt against its master, and, by biting 
and kicking, would force a passage through the crowd till it got 
close to the soldiers. It followed the music through the streets, 
stopping each time the decree was read, and when the guard re- 
turned to quarters, the animal walked back, humble and obedient, 
to its ordinary labour. Whence arose this affection for decrees? 
How could the donkey distinguish what was a government publica- 
tion from anything else? Cendeja could never solve the difficulty, 
nor was his sagacious animal able to explain how it came by such 
knowledge. Another eminent quality in the ayuador's donkey was 
its love for its profession ; less changeable than man , if the ass 
abandoned it, the change was never voluntary. 

On the road from Lima to Amancaes there is an orchard, the 
owner of which resided in Lima, and who had in his service an 
agiiador named Laweano. The public had given to the donkey 
which carried his water-casks the same name as to the aguador. 
After a few years' residence in Lima, the donkey Laureano was 
taken back to the orchard, but had scarcely arrived when it began 
to show how deeply it regretted the habits and bustle of town life, 
and that it had no relish for rural scenes or for the rude simplicity 



184 



LIMA. 



of its country brethren. It would seem that a long sojourn in ca- 
pitals, the centres of civilization in civilized States, generally pro- 
duces a change of feeling, and that neither men nor animals, when 
once accustomed to the crowd, can always resign themselves to end 
their lives in the solitude, silence, peace, and innocence of the 
country. Laureano drooped his long ears; his brayings, like the me- 
lancholy strains of Bellini, had no longer, as at Lima, the sonority, 




Laureano in the fields. 



harmony, and vigour of the creations of Rossini or Mozart ; quite 
absorbed in his recollections, and borne down by the weight of 
overwhelming homesickness, he refused all food and passed his 
lime in listless apathy. 

One day the master ordered Laureano to be sent to carry some 
fruit to the market; a pair of panniers filled with apples and pears 
were slung across his back, after which he was placed under the 
direction of an old negress. Laureano could not support such a hu- 



LIMA. 



183 



miliation; roaring with vexation and rage, he upset the woman and 
baskets on the ground, scattering the fruit around him. For six 
months it was impossible to obtain from Laureano the slightest ser- 
vice for his master. At length one day he was taken to Lima, for 
some reason or other. He entered the court-yard of the house, but 
immediately after, without asking permission of any one, he ran off 
to the Plaza Mayor. At the sight of the fountain near which he 




Laurca.no at the fountain. 



had passed so many happy hours, he commenced braying, but this 
time with joy and gladness. He drew near to his former companions 
and saluted them cordially with friendly bites on the neck; and if 
the kicks and antics of a donkey could be called dancing, Lau- 
reano might be said to have danced with delight. After having 
given way to numerous demonstrations of pleasure with other don- 
keys of his age, he returned home again. Laureano was again taken 
to the fields, but this time he lost patience and went so far as to 



186 



LIMA. 



commit a crime. The animal which had formerly given such proofs 
of obedience became a truant. Baffling the vigilance of his keepers, 
he stole away, and went at full gallop to the fountain in the square 
at Lima, it would have been as easy to stay the thunderbolt in its 
descent, as Laureano in his mad career. On arriving at the fountain 
he indulged for an hour or two in his joyful liberty and then re- 
turned to the house in Lima. The owner, surprised at these daily 
visits, was informed that Laureano could not get accustomed to a 
country life, and had him sent back to Lima. But alas! on the day 
on which he returned to his favourite court-yard, poor Laureano 
probably ate of some poisonous plant or swallowed a spider, for 
the next day he was found dead, with his venerable head resting 
on the panniers which he had so long carried on his back. Requies- 
cat in pace ! 

EL CARRETONERO (THE CARRIER). 

The negroes who wished to follow the calling o{ carretoneros were 
subject to the same formalities and to a code not less severe than 
that o{ aguadores . As they required a more considerable capital 
than the aguador, they paid as media anata, four piastres and four 
reals, and two flasks of brandy. 

The principal business of the carretoneros was that of moving 
household goods in town and country. It was admitted that no ar- 
ticle of furniture ever arrived at its destination without suffering 
some damage. Thence arose a common proverb at Lima: de que 
tres mudanzas de domicilio equivalen d un incendio (three removals 
are as bad as a Are), because the strongest furniture cannot resist 
three journeys in a carreton. 

The corporation of carretoneros met once a week to discuss the 
important affairs of their body. What gave rise to frequent discus- 
sions was the tariff for conveyance. Among the number were certain 
economists so clever that they succeeded in solving the following 
problem : How the carretonero should gain within the year the va- 
lue of the mule and cart, cover the cost of keeping both driver and 



LIMA. 



187 



animal, and, after paying the daily sum due to his master, have in 
hand at the end of the year a capital of twenty piastres towards 
purchasing his own liberty. 




Carretonero (carrier). 



The "majority of the carretoneros, like most of the aguadores, were 
slaves who lived away from their masters and disposed of all their 
time on paying to their owner so much per day. The rate was cal- 
culated at one real per day on each hundred piastres the slave had 
cost. Thus a slave who had cost two hundred piastres paid two reals 
a day for liberty to work on his own account. 

Many journaleros (slaves at so much a day) obtained their libera- 
tion in a few years and the first desire of a freed negro was to be- 
come in his turn the master of other negroes. At Lima, twenty years 
ago, might be seen a negress cake-seller who had four slaves to 
carry her baskets. 

The heaviest punishment the alcalde of the carretoneros inflicted 
on the members of the corporation was that of the arco (bow), which 
consisted in binding the culprit firmly to one of the wheels of 
his cart. Some unfortunate negroes have even expired under the 
torture. 

The corporation of carretoneros, although composed principally 
oibozal negroes, included among its members some poets of genius, 
the most remarkable of whom was a little negro named Cayetano, 
who never spoke in prose. 



188 



LIMA. 




Negro carretonero undergoing the punishment of the arco. 



For the last thirty years there has been lying in our portfolio, 
notes of the following dialogue, exchanged between a lady who was 
about to move and Cayetano. 

I Cuanto quieres poj' llevar each carretada ? 

(How much do you charge for each cartload?) 

Paj^a hace su mece cimitas c.abales. 

Pagald su mece catorce reales. 

(To charge your ladyship a fair price. 

I will take fourteen reals.) 

I Qniere V. diez realesi 

(Will you take ten reals?) 

No, sumece : lo trato pesa mucho, 

Y en ete tiempo la mula estd flacucho. 

(No, your ladyship, the times are hard 

And the mule just now is very thin.) 

Vamos , diez reales, estd bueno... si no qiiiere V., vere d otro. 

(Come ! ten reals; will you take it? If not I will find some one else.) 

Mi amita, doce reales, plecio fija. 

Asi eclibio el alcarde la tali fa, 

(My little lady, twelve reals, lowest price. 

The alcalde himself has fixed the tariff.) 

Pero cuidado con romper nada. 

(Take care to break nothing.) 



LIMA. 



189 



No tiene swnece ciidiao, amita, 
Llevalemo depacio la mulita. 
(Never fear, my little lady, 
I will drive as gently as possible.) 

When Cayetano, sitting on the shafts of his cart, passed near a 
little negress or zamha who caught his eye, he would address her in 
improvised verses somewhat like the follwing: 

Ven, zambita de mi vida, 
Zamba de mi corazon ; 
Vamos a dar un paseo 
Dentro de mi carreton. 

Si conoces, zamba linda, 
El amor dc un caballero, 
Ven, zamba, conoceras 
El amor de un carretonero. 

Dicen que Dios de los cielos 
Murio clavado en su cruz ; 
Asi muere Cayetano 
Por la negrita Jesus (1). 

EL VELEKO (THE CANDLE-SELLER) AND TWO STORIES. 

The vdero hawks about his wares. The article sold by this itine- 
rant dealer is daily losing its importance in consequence of the pro- 
gress it has itself promoted. We will explain this proposition, whicli 
at first sight might be taken for a paradox. 

(1) Gome, little zamba of my life, 

Zamba of my heart. 
Let us take a ride 
Together in my cart. 

If thou hast known, fair zamba. 
The love of a cavalier; 
Come, zamba, thou shal't know 
The love of a carretonero. 

They say the God of heaven 
Died nailed unto a cross ; 
So also will Cayetano die 
For the little negress Jesus ! 



190 



LIMA. 



Eighty years ago the inhabitants of the Heroica Ciudad de las 
Reyes (heroic City of Kings) only burnt candles of black tallow in 
the principal apartments of the house, such as the drawing-room 
and the bed-room ; the other portions were lit with rude lamps con- 
taining fat or lard, in which was implanted a coarse wick. 

A little later (and this was the age of prosperity for the velero) the 
principal apartments were lighted with velones (large candles) of 
white tallow, and the other rooms with velitas (small candles) of the 
same colour. The candles of black tallow were left to the poorer 
classes, and the rude lamps were no longer seen any where but in 
kitchens. 

This was the age of candles, large, middle-sized, and small {velo- 
nes, velitas and veloncitos). 

The first period of decay in the manufacture of native candles at 
Lima commenced with the introduction of wax-lights, which were 
used in the drawing-rooms, whilst the tallow-candles were relega- 
ted to the rooms of minor importance and to kitchens. 




Negro vclero (candle-seller). 



Oil lamps, to be suspended from the ceilings, next made their 
brilliant appearance; we cannot however explain why they were 



LIMA. 



called reberberos (reflectors). They naturally occupied the apartments 
lighted until then with wax-tapers (last period of decay). 

This innovation was immediately followed by that of table lamps, 
and the wax-lights w ere at once circumscribed to a still more nar- 
row circle (period of fatal crisis for the manufacture of tallow 
candles). 

Gradually the use of oil lamps of all sorts, forms, and dimensions 
became general in Lima; finally, gas with its dazzling rays was in- 
troduced. Before the bnUiaiit majesty of its light all others were 
eclipsed, and the manufacture of tallow-candles fell into mortal 
convulsions. That branch of industry, which in its time enlightened 
our worthy predecessors, now only exists among a small number of 
persons who still think with a sigh of the golden age of tallow- 
candles. 

Certain subjects have such an intimate connection between them, 
that when we speak of one, it is impossible to overlook the others. 

How, indeed, is it possible not to retrace the history of public 
lighting, when we touch even incidentally on the subject of domes- 
tic lights? 

In the primitive age of Spanish rule, Lima could hardly be said 
to be a brilliant city, or its inhabitants to live in anything but an 
age of obscurity. The streets were then plunged in perfect darkness; 
or, as the women said, they were negras como boca de lobo (black as 
a wolf's jaws). Naturally such a state of things was favourable to 
lovers and thieves; the latter especially profited so much by the 
darkness that after seven in the evening nothing was heard in the 
streets of Lima but cries of atajal atajal (stop! stop!) raised against 
the arranchadores of mantles, hats, and pocket handkerchiefs. 

All things have their period of infancy; that of public lighting 
in Lima consisted, in 1592, iu nailing up at the corners of the streets 
small earthern lamps filled with grease. The air gives life to com- 
bustion ; but as an abuse of food produces apoplexy, so too much 
air extinguished the lamps notwithstanding the careful watching 
of the men to whom the public lighting was entrusted. Experience 
is the best guide ; that it was which taught our ancestors that the 



192 



LIMA. 



lamp exposed to the wind was as brilliant as a dumb orator is elo- 
quent. The lamp was consequently next placed in a tin lantern. By 
means of this precaution, the lamp at length spread for a couple 
of hours every evening its wretched light, its thick smoke, and its 
delicious perfume, so that the attacks on the wearers of cloaks and 
hats no longer commenced before nine o'clock. 

Somewhat later, an ordinance declared that the public lighting 
was insufficient and of too short duration, and imposed on the ci- 
tizens, under the penalty of a fine, the obligation of placing at their 
doors a lantern which should burn until ten in the evening. This 
innovation, which marks the second period of progress, produced 
at first an advantage to the tinmen, who manufactured all kinds of 
lanterns, from microscopic ones destined for shopkeepers and the 
poor, to colossal lanterns with five branches, which first served to 
light up the drawing-rooms, and subsequently were suspended at 
the outer doors of houses on the occasion of extraordinary illumi- 
nations. 

Then might be seen, in the same street, lanterns of all sizes con- 
taining tallow candles or glasses filled with odoriferous higuerilla 
(castor oil). The manoeuvres of the thieves against hats and mantles 
then only commenced at ten o'clock. 

Although this measure greatly improved the public lighting, the 
ill-will of some, the poverty of others, and especially the initiative 
of the Government, gave rise to a system of lighting by means of 
lamps placed at the top of stout iron columns or suspended by 
chains fixed across the streets. From that moment the public light- 
ing may be said to have fulfilled its object- Thanks to this improve- 
ment, with other measures to which we have referred in the ar- 
ticle on the guardians of public order, an end was put to the robberies 
of hats and mantles in the public streets. 

This last mode of lighting was at length replaced by gas, which 
was used for the first time in the streets of Lima on the evening 
of the 7th May 1855. 

Such is the history of public and domestic lighting at Lima. It 
would have been natural to write that of chandeliers, lanterns, and 



LIMA. 



193 



lamps; but this has not followed the same course as the other. At 
the period of insufficient lighting, the houses of the wealthy classes 
displayed chandeliers and candelabra of great value in solid silver, 
although the poorer could only procure earthen lamps. At present 
a person must be in a state of extreme indigence not to possess 
a brass candlestick or a lamp for burning petroleum. The most 
wealthy families have lamps and candelabra of exquisite artistic 
workmanship, and in excellent taste, but... gold and silver only 
give their colour and brilliancy to the outside of these articles. 
In this respect, if we have to record the progress of art, we must 
also notice the decline of the splendour and opulence which not 
long since still reigned at Lima. 

BISCOCHEROS (PIEMEN). 

The biscocheros are generally Indians or zambos, employed by 
pastry-cooks to hawk their wares about the streets and receiving a 
certain percentage on the sale. The biscochero, to increase his pro- 
fits, has introduced the game of the mosquita (little fly). 

All the dainty articles carried by the biscochero on his portable 
stand not being of the same price, and the young Limanians not 
having always six, twelve, or twenty centavos (half-pennies) at com- 
mand, the crafty dealer has hit upon an easy means of enabling 
them to obtain the coveted viands : he sets down his table, which 
is soon surrounded by an eager group of boys, each of whom stakes 
two or three centavos at most on the cake or pie he likes best ; the 
biscochero then flicks away the flies with a feather-brush or napkin. 
They soon return, and the first of the pies selected by the little 
gamblers on which a fly alights, belongs to the person who staked 
on it. The others have lost their money; and the biscochero is the 
only winner if the fly settles on an article on which no one has 
played. 

The biscocheros parade the streets at all seasons of the year, from 
early morning till three or four in the afternoon. Their cries are 
greatly diversified in words and tone, but during the Holy Week 

13 



LIMA. 




The biscochero ( pieman ). 




The hiscocfmerela ('pie-woman) of the railway station. 



I 



I 



LIMA. 



195 



hundreds of them pass along the streets, all shouting: [Pan de 
dxdcel ipan de diilcel (sweet cakes!) as loud as they can, in every 
inflection of voice. 

Pastry and cakes are sold not only in the streets, but also at the 
bake-houses and in different shops. 

The most popular piev/oman of the present time has her stall 
at the station of the Lima and Callao railway. Her portrait is given 
above. 



The panadero does not hawk bread, for that necessary is sold only 
at the bakeries and in shops. 

The panadero merely delivers bread ordered beforehand. Mounted 
on a mule, he carries a supply to the retailers and to the houses 



of his regular customers, announcing his arrival by striking his 
bridle reins against his panniers or leather wallets. 



EL PANADERO (THE BAKER). 




Baker delivering bread. 



196 



LIMA. 



LA LECHERA (MILK WOMAN) . 



The lechera carries milk round to her customers, of course with 
a due admixture of water. 



The milkwoman, usually an Indian, brings milk to Lima from the 
farms in the environs, some at a considerable distance, and makes 
known her presence by crying: iLa leche-el (Milk-lio!) 

HELADEROS (ICE-MEN), TISANERAS (PTISAN-SELLERS), GHAMPU- 
SERAS (GHAMPUZ-SELLERS), GHIGHERAS (GHIGHA-SELLERS). 

To cool their hot blood was the first care of the old generation ; 
when we say old, we do not go so far back as the days of our grand- 
fathers, because the Limanian appears to have become less heated 
only about twenty years since, when the class of persons who made 
a trade of carrying round refreshing beverages to private houses 
totally disappeared. 

There were many sorts of refreshments patronized by the ladies 
of Lima, for we must observe that the sefioras seemed to be more 
addicted to the use of morning refreshments than the caballeros. 




The lechera (milkwoman). 



LIMA. 



197 



Then, as now, the heladores (ice-men), who are mostly Indians 
from the other side of the Cordilleras, passed along the streets cry- 
ing : \Eh riqiii pinil (rich pine-apple ices!) y de kit I (and ice- 
creams!) The richness of the ices, if they are pine-apple, consists 
in containing as little as possible of that fruit; if they are cream, 
in having merely a dash of milk just to give them a colour. The 
cleanliness of the iceman is well matched with the quality of his 




Indian heladero (ice-man). 



merchandize; for as soon as his ice-pail is emptied, he washes it 
very carefully in the street gutter, which receives all sorts of filth 
from the houses. The heladero only sells to the poorer classes, the 
wealthier having recourse to well-managed establishments which 
supply ices of excellent quality. 

The tisanera and the chichera held the second rank amoug deal- 
ers in refreshments. The tisanera was nearly always a stout old 
negress, who carried on her head a large basket containing a num- 



198 



LIMA. 




Negress chichera (chicha-seller). 



LIMA. 



199 



ber of earthen pipkins, full of a dirty-looking fluid, in which frag- 
ments of pine-apple rind might be seen floating. 

The chichera was likewise an old negress, but of spare figure, and 
she carried on her head a large earthen jar, full of the precious li- 
quor called chicha terrcmova. 

The arcades of the Plaza Mayor used to be occupied by these 
dealers in ices and cooling beverages. The history of Lima will long 
preserve the memory of Na Aguedita, whose cooling compounds 
and mazamorras (t) gave her greater celebrity in Lima than the in- 
ventor of the electric telegraph enjoyed. Na Aguedita sold refreshing 




Fresquera and champusera. 

beverages in the morning, and in the evening, she also offered her 
customers mazamorra morada and chmnpiiz de agrio y leche (curds 
and milk acidulated with lemon). The highest people of Lima 
would take their seats on the benches of this old matron. Her chicha 
de pina (pine-apple), chicha de guindas (cherries), horchata (ov^QdX) 

(1) This was a favourite dish in Peru, being composed of Indian meal, honey, 
and sugar. The mazamorra morada , mentioned below, was the same preparation 
coloured with mulberry or cherry juice. 



200 



LIMA. 



and agua de granadas (pomegranate water), exposed in capacious 
earthen and glass vases, excited the appetite, or rather the thirst, of 
the pubUc. Of how many scenes of gallantry have those benches 
been the silent witnesses ! How many happy marriages have been 
brought about by an invitation to take a cup of champuzde lechel 

But Na Aguedita was not immorjal; she died, and her death 
marked an epoch of decline in the refreshment trade. In vain did 
other establishments present, under pretty blue and white awnings, 
a similar display of vases filled with cooling beverages ; they could 
never obtain the patronage of any but the lower orders, iVa Aguedita 
had neither awnings nor ornaments, and yet there were evenings 
when it was as difficult to find a seat in her establishment as to ob- 
tain tickets for the first performance of a new play by a popular 
author. 

The higher classes no longer take refreshments in the open air, 
since they have lost their favourite fresquera. 

At present, there are no fresquerias in the Plaza Mayor; the per- 
sons who follow that trade have retired to hide its decline in holes 
and corners. 

Public opinion attributed a thousand salutary qualities to these 
different beverages, but the chicha terranova stood first of all. It 
was regarded by the populace as a sovereign remedy, comparable 
to nothing but the e/m> of immortality . Nevertheless the chicheras 
have disappeared : only a single one remains, and unfortunately her 
four score years and odd leave little hope that she will long remain 
to dispense chicha in this sublunary state of existence. 

FRUTEROS (FRUITERERS). 

Fruit is sold at Lima in shops, in the markets, and about the 
streets. The hawkers announce their wares with different cries ut- 
tered in a great variety of intonations. The melonera rides through 
the streets on an ass or mule, crying : ; Se va la melonera, la sandil- 
lera. , . la sandille... la melonie... ! (Here goes the hawker of melons 
and water-melons!) or else she takes her stand at the corner oi 



I 



LIMA. 



201 




Melon-hawker, 



some street and there disposes other stock. In the former case, she 
sells only whole melons, in the latter she retails them in slices. 




202 



LIMA. 



In the valleys near the capiisl the f/ranadilla (sweet calabash) grows 
in great abundance and is brought to town for sale by the Indian 
women, who, instead of crying them along the streets, enter the 
houses, with the inquiry: iNo mercas granadillas'! (Won't you buy 
some granadillas?) 




Indian selling granadillas. 



The fruiterer who may be called universal, because he does not 
limit his trade to a single article, and is certainly the most popular, 
as he can suit all tastes and purses — the fruiterer whom the chil- 
dren are most anxious to see, is one who, mounted on an ass, with 
two large panniers before him, sells the produce of the huertas (or- 
chards) of the capital and its environs. 

The sale of fruit was formerly monopolized by the bozal negroes 
and negresses , who had a peculiar cry to make known their pre- 
sence. 

These negroes have since been succeeded by the Chinese, who 
have not half so good -d knack crying their goods. 



LIMA. 



203 




Chinese fruit-seller. 

The negroes used to go through the streets, crying: / Eh fruteel 
pela, pelial... canasta llena... tamalito de uval melocotone ! etc. 
(Here's the fruitman! pears! baskets full! parcels of grapes ! and 
peaches !) 

The canasta llena and tamalito de iwa made the children quite 
wild. The former were small baskets full of ripe apples and pears, 
and were sold for a half or quarter real; the latter consisted of a 
good quantity of grapes detached from the stalk and wrapped in 
plantain leaves. Neither of these articles had a very attractive 
appearance; but for the ninos, it was a moment of supreme de- 
ligJit when the casero (fruitman) handed them the object of their 
desires. 

MANTEQUERO (LVRDMAN). 

The manteqiiero does not hawk his goods, but carries them to re- 
tail-shops and markets. Manteca is hog's lard, which, by certain 
manipulations, has lost its original taste and smell. At Lima, cooks 
do not use oil, or butter, or beef fat, but hog's lard, which is cer- 
tainly superior to the best fat obtained from the ox in Chili, 



204 



LIMA. 




Negro mantequero. 



PAST AND PRESENT CELEBRITIES. 

Lima has been considered by many persons as the cradle of those 
•whom the Gospel calls js^or in spirit, and this opinion has so far 
prevailed that the word Limeno (Limanian) has come to be used in 
Spanish as synonymous with tont.o and mcntecato {silly and foolish). 

There was some reason for this opinion, for the education which 
the nobility gave to their senoritos was better calculated to make 
them idiots or simpletons than men fit to hve in this world, where 
artlessness and innocence are too often the objects of mockery and 
derision. 

It is worthy of remark that, since the extinction of nobility and the 
spread of education, what was called candidez (silly simplicity) has 
ceased to exist in Lima. We feel bound to observe, however, that 
in speaking as we have done above, we have no intention to dispa- 
rage or oflend persons of noble birth, for our principle, like all 
others, admits of exceptions. 




Imp Lemercier 



LIMA. 20H 

The son of a nobleman used to pass the first years of his life 
among zambas and miilatresses. When no longer a baby, he never- 
theless still remained in the hands of the same class. Instead of 
playing at soldiers, at peg-top, or kite-flying, his amusement con- 
sisted in dressing dolls; and, when grown older, he was allowed to 
play at the altarito (little altar) and say mass. At ten years of age he 
was unable to read, because sus sehores padres (his honourable pa- 
rents) being rich, there was no necessity to puzzle his tender brain. 
In summer the boy never went into the street, because the sun 
might tan his delicate skin; in winter he was kept in doors lest he 
should take cold; when it rained, for fear he should catch the ague ; 
and lastly, if the wind was high, he must not go out because the 
dust might be blown into his eyes. Being thus always in the society 
of servants, the youth attained the age of twenty with no other ac- 
quirements than being able to talk like the lowest of the populace. 
He believed in witches^ goblins, and ghosts; he durst not enter a 
dark room, etc. 

The populace of Lima, especially the women, and more especially 
the zambas of great families and convents, used a peculiar dialect 
which has supplied many words to our most noted poet, Don Felipe 
Pardo, for his keen satires, The zami^'a never said f/ec/o (finger), but 
dero; nor cadena (chain), but carena; in compensation, for raso (satin), 
she said daso; for su merced (your worship), sumedced, etc. The 
sefioritos (young noblemen) spoke in precisely the same manner, and 
remained sefioritos even after they had become grandfathers. For 
the nurse-maids, servants, and friends of the family, a Don Juan 
who had seen sixty summers was always the nifio Juanito (little 
Johnny); a Don Manuel, el sehorito Manonguito; a Don Francisco, 
el nifio Panchito; a Don Lorenzo, el fiifio LoUto. 

So much for the sefioritos (boys) ; as for the sefioritas (girls), their 
education was still more neglected. Above all, a woman must not 
know how to read or write, for fear she should receive love-letters, 
or, still worse, answer them. To fulfil her mission on earth, the 
sefiorita must pass her childhood in the society of negresses and 
dolls, her youth with monks, and the rest of her days, either with 



200 



LIMA. 



the husband chosen by her parents, or serving God, shut up in a 
nunnery. 

There is, then, nothing astonishing, if men, effeminate, ignorant, 
full of absurd prejudices, without any of the qualities requisite for 
social life, acquired the epithet of fools; but it would be most un- 
just to infer that tonteria (imbecility) is the essential characteristic 
of the Limanian. 

Let us pass to another category of fools, whom we may call j^u- 
blic buffoons, since every body has the right to divert himself with 
them. 

In the foremost rank stands one Don Nor Bernard/to, who lived 
about thirty-five years since. His talent (for public buffoons must 
have some talent) consisted in imitating a childbed scene, the noise 
of fireworks, and the chanting of i)espers. During his performance, 
iVor Bernardito covered his face with a handkerchief, and imitated 
the cries of a woman in labour, the voice of the midwife, and the 
wailing of the new-born child. He next imitated the explosion of 
rockets, then the music and chantiug of vespers. 

There was a contemporary of Don Bernardito, but long his sur- 
vivor, named Basilio Yeguas, whose only talent consisted in talking 
nothing but bad Latin. 

Basilio passed his days and evenings at the Cafe de Bodegones, 
in the street of the same name, where he picked up ends of cigars, 
as well as the bits of bread and sugar left by the customers of that 
establishment. The pockets of his trowsers and waistcoat, in addi- 
tion to his hat, were literally crammed with cigar-ends, bread, and 
sugar. He used to walk round all the tables, to drink whatever cof- 
fee, tea, or chocolate was left in the cups. 

The street boys, avIio, in every city of the world, run after eccen- 
tric characters, as if to aggravate their folly, would often hold with 
Basilio a dialogue something like the following : 

" How are you, Basilio?" 

" Bonorwn, hombre (man), bonoriim." 

"Whence come you?" 

' ' De Bodegonorum . " 



LIMA. 



207 




Manongo Monon. 



208 



LIMA. 



" How many cups have you taken?" 

" De cafetorum, cuarentorum (forty); de chocolatorum, dieziocho- 
rum (eighteen)." 

" What have you got in your hat?" 
Cigarronim, panorum y azmorimi (cigars, bread, and sugar)." 

After the classical Latin of Basilio Yeguas, we must not forget 
Benito-Saca-la-pierna, whose talents consisted in declaiming against 
the fair sex and in imitating military music. 

Benito died some years back, leaving as the only representative 
of this talented race, the least pleasing buffoon that can be ima- 
gined. 

Manuel Munoz has no other talent than that of being a knave and 
of talking so as to be scarcely understood. He calls himself Manongo 
Mono, and is consequently generally known as Manongo Monon. 
Always intruding into the apartments of the sefioritas, he has adop- 
ted the profession of dealer in cast-ofP dresses, and may be seen 
walking the streets laden with female apparel. 

The individual of whom we have next to speak, and who died 
some few years ago, belonged to the Diogenes family, not to the 
buffoons. 

Don Angel Fernando de Quiroz was born of a distinguished family 
of Arequipa, and received an excellent education. 

We know not what causes led this man, who might have occu- 
pied a high position in society, to adopt the cynic's mode of life, 
and to be ahvays filthy and ragged. He was very fond of reading 
and usually had a quantity of books under his arm, covered by his 
cloak, which made the boys call after him to ask : iSe vende ese 
gallol (Is that cock for sale") Quiroz was a poet, and very few 
nurselings of the muses have written more verses than he. His fa- 
vourite composition was the sonnet. No important event could hap- 
pen in any quarter of the world without his making it the subject 
of his verse. 

From Galileo to Newton, from Arago to Don Mateo Paz-Soldan, 
from Caisar to Bolivar and Napoleon HI^ from the wars of Jugurtha 
to the peace of Villafranca, and from Pius IX. to Garibaldi, all men 



LIMA. 



209 



of note, all remarkable events of ancient or modern history have 
supplied him with the materials for so many sonnets. Some years 
before his death, Quiroz was content to write his poetry and recite 
it in public, even in the street, to all who wanted, or did not want, 
to hear it; but at a later period, he was seized by such a passion 
for fame and glory that he published his works under the title 
of : Delirios de un Loco (Ravings of a Madman). He then became 
as anxious to obtain purchasers as he had formerly been to find 
hearers. 




Don Angel Fernando de Quiroz. 



Quiroz was concerned in several family lawsuits, and he possess- 
ed a small income. When he received the latter, he immediately 
employed it in paying the booksellers to whom he was always in- 
debted, the grocer who trusted him for candles, and some other 
creditors. The rest of the year he lived on small loans obtained from 
his numerous acquaintances. 

The only furniture found in the chamber occupied by Quiroz was 
a candlestick and a bath, which last served him as a bed, and in 
which he always slept with his clothes on. One morning this 
modern Diogenes was found lying motionless in his tub; he had 
ceased to live. 

14 



210 



LIMA. 



THE SCHOOLMASTER, 

A class which has now completely disappeared is that of the old 
schoolmasters, who have been replaced, we know not with what ad- 
vantage, by the directors of private colleges. 

Elementary education was an article to be obtained at Lima, 
some forty years ago, in two kinds of establishments, the migas (1) 
and the escuelas (schools). The former were kept by respectable 
matrons, some few of whom were negresses and zambas, and the 
name of migas was given to them because they admitted children 
of both sexes. The escuelas ^ere managed by learned professors and 
received boys only. 

The different steps of instruction were designated by the names 
of tablita, cartilla, caton, libro, carta, and proceso. 

In the migas, pupils advanced to the carton; the tablita was a 
small board on which was pasted a printed paper containing the 
letters of the alphabet in very large type. There was always a cross 
before the A, and the child who began to use it was said to be at 
his cristo (criss-cross row), or at the tablita. The cartilla contained 
a few combinations of syllables, and the caton all the prayers in the 
catechism. The catones preferred by the schoolmasters Avere those 
which had the picture of St. Cassian on the first page. At the migas 
the pupils also learned the first prayers and chanted them in chorus 
every afternoon. 

The escuela, of course, gave more extended instruction. The pu- 
pils there studied the libro (book), the carta (manuscript), and the 
proceso, which last was the crowning feat as regards reading. It seems 
that, in all countries, lawyers make a point of writing badly, as 
if a remnant of modesty compelled them to conceal their skill under 
an illegible scrawl. The procesos were scraps of law writings which 
the maestros purchased of the lawyers. 

In the schools also instruction was given in writing and in the 

(I) The Spanish word is amigas, which means seminaries for young ladieSi 



LIMA. 2H 

first four rules of arithmetic. Thus, it was said of a boy whose 
education was finished, that he could read, ivrite, and cast ac- 
counts. 

In the migas the charge for a boy or a girl was four reales per 
month, or perhaps a piastre (4 shillings), if the establishment were 
of a superior kind. As the maestra (mistress) always paid special de- 
votions to some one saint, the children were expected to contri- 
bute to her worship by occasional presents. 

In the escuelas, the mesada (monthly pay) varied from one to two 
piastres, but each of the children had also to give the master, every 
Saturday, a rosea de manteca (round lump of hog's lard). If the 
unlucky youngster forgot it, or damaged it by the way, he was pu- 
nished. The masters thus found themselves in possession of forty 
or fifty lumps of lard, far more than they could consume in a week. 
They accordingly, in their wisdom, resolved that their pupils should 
thenceforth bring, instead of the rosea, a propina (present) of half a 
real every week. 

The maestro, ayo, ou senor (for he was called indifferently by any 
one of these titles), was generally a man whose principal method 
consisted in severity. 

At the time of which we are writing, knee-breeches had already 
gone out of fashion, but the respectable corps of pedagogues still 
retained them. The maestro therefore wore breeches, a long black 
surtout reaching to his ankles, velvet shoes fastened with wide 
black ribbons or huge silver buckles; a wide fluted frill down his 
shirt front ; a white cravat, and a cotton cap of the same colour. 
As a sign of his authority he always had in his hands a ferula and 
a whip of several thongs. 

The boys, in addition to their school duties, were also accustomed 
to act as his servants. During the week, they fetched him snuff, 
cigarettes, sugar, candles, etc. On Saturday, they were obliged to 
sweep out the school, to clean the benches, to wash the broken 
bottle used by the master for an inkstand, and burn an old sock to 
make tinder for him. Saturday was naturally the day which the boys 
liked best. 



212 



LIMA. 



The ordinary school punishments were three in number : 1 . to 
remain kneeling for a certain time in the middle of the school-room; 

2. the palmeta (ferula), which consisted in receiving on the palm of 
the hand several sharp blows inflicted with a wooden instrument 
about three inches wide at the end, half an inch thick, pierced with 
several holes, and terminating in a handle of proportionate length; 

3. the whip, which, for any serious offence, was vigorously applied 
outside the clothes wherever might happen ; but in aggravated cases, 
the boy was horsed and the blows inflicted on a bare part of his 
person which need not be more particularly designated. 




Schoolmaster. 



As a general rule, the senoritos (sons of gentlemen) went to school 
accompanied by negro servants, of about their own age. The school- 
master paid most attention to teaching the sefiorito, and the negro 
was responsible for his young master's misdeeds or short-comings, 
which were punished on the poor servitor's person, and his chastise- 
ment was considered a sufficient correction for the real delinquent's 
faults. What a splendid lesson of justice ! 

The most terrible days for the pupils of a school were those on 
which the outraged law gave satisfaction to offended society by 



LIMA. 



213 



hanging a criminal on a gibbet or placing him on a bench to be 
thot to death by soldiers. On these solemn occasions the school- 
masters used to conduct all their pupils to the Plaza Mayor, the 
usual place of execution. After the horrible scene was over, they 
returned to the school. The outer door having been closed, the 
master, whip in hand, like Jupiter with his thunderbolts, began 
lashing about him right and left, declaiming, amidst the cries and 
tears of the boys, against vice and crime, and on the sad end which 
awaits the guilty. This shower of stripes was called el juicio (the 
judgment). The day after an execution, the boys would ask each 
other : i Como te fue ayer con el juicio ? (Now did you escape yester- 
day in the judgment?) After these balmy days, with their lumps of 
lard, money presents, and judgments, there came a time when the 
career of professor was adopted by men, who, having been unable 
to succeed m anything else, thought they possessed just the proper 
quantum of ignorance to become schoolmasters. We one day asked 
the director of a colegio de instruccion piimaria why he had placed 
the following announcement over his door : Aqui se educan ninos y 
ninas de los ires sexos (House of education for boys and girls of the 
three sexes). He replied, with an air of great self-complacency, that 
his school was divided into three departments : one for boys, a se- 
cond for girls, and the third for pupils of either sex. It would have 
been most unreasonable not to be satisfied with this explanation. 

At Lima there are now neither migas nor escuelas, there are only 
colegios. Any one is free to open an establishment of this kind, if 
he will just save appearances by observing certain formalities pre- 
scribed by the laws. There are colegios for young ladies, in which 
the whole number of officials, including the directresses and pro- 
fessors, does not exceed eight persons. But, in all these houses, there 
are public examinations every year; printed programmes are distri- 
buted, and all the principal inhabitants are invited to attend. On 
the last day, or rather the last night, of the examination^ there is a 
grand party, or supper, or ball, and perhaps all three. On the fol- 
lowing days, the Comercio publishes a report of the solemnity, gives 
a glowing account of the great number and respectability of the 



214 



LIMA. 



attendance, speaks highly of the ready and correct replies of the pu- 
pils, extols the skill of the examiners in showing off the talents 
of the young people; praises the zeal and capacity of the teachers, 
and, lastly, expatiates on the high moral tone and wisdom of the 
directors, their devotedness, and affection for their pupils. 

iVAYA UN NUMERITO! (GOME, BUY A NUMBER!) 

Under the name of suertes (lots) a kind of lottery was established 
many years ago, the profits of which were given to the hospital of 
San Bartolom6. The price of the tickets was one real, and they 
were sold by persons whose sole occupation was to go about the 
streets announcing them for sale by the cry placed at the head of 
this paragraph. In all classes of society, and among all professions, 
men of genius are to be found : thus, among the ticket-sellers of 
former days, there were two famous not only for the popularity 
they enjoyed and the great number of tickets which they sold in 
consequence, but also for their power of ruling fortune. When a 
ticket sold by one of these dealers came up a prize, he was said to 
have ruled fortune. These two men were best known by nicknames, 
one of them being called Mazamorra, the other A-canto-de-flores 
(Beside-the-flowers) . 




A-canio-de-flores. 



LIMA. 



215 



Both owed their names to the words they employed in sohci- 
ting buyers : the former used to cry : iVaya de d mill (Come, buy 
a ticket of a thousand!) Mil pesos de suave I (A thousand piastres for 
nothing!) \ Suave como mazamorral (As delicious as mazamorral) 
I Quien quiere mil pesosl (Who wants a thousand piastres?) 

The latter, a person of mean exterior, but witty and fluent of 
speech, had in his young days sung couplets on the stage; he would 
relate stories and anecdotes to the persons who called him in. He 
was doubtless the suertero (ticket-seller) who sold most tickets. His 
ditties were very diversified, but nearly always in this style : 

i Yaya un numerito 

En un jardiri ! 
Una de a quinientos 
Y otra de a mil ! 

I Vaya un numerito 
A canto de flores ! 
Hombre con mil pesos, 
Muger con amores ! 

Las suertes con la verdad, 

Y la verdad con las suertes ; 
;Quien compra el treinta y tres mil? 
iQui'en quiere mil pesos fuertes (1) ? 

The directors of the Beneficencia used to sell the privilege of the 
lottery by public auction, and it sometimes fetched as much as 
45,000 piastres yearly. The purchaser engaged to give prizes for the 



(I; Come buy a little number 

In a garden ! 
One of five hundred. 
The other of a thousand ! 

Come buy a little number 

Beside the flowers ! 
Man with a thousand piastres, 

YVoman with love! 

The prizes with the truth. 

And the truth with the prizes; 
iWho will buy number thirty-three thousand? 
^Wbo wants a thousand good piastres? 



216 



LIMA. 



first twenty numbers drawn, the highest being a thousand, and the 
lowest fifty-five piastres. 

It happened not unfrequently that the lottery contractors so ma- 
naged matters as to secure the great majority of the prizes for them- 
selves, leaving little or nothing for the poor simpletons who had 
half-starved themselves to save the means of buying tickets. These 
abuses and others besides at last induced the Beneficencia to keep 
the lottery in its own hands, and thus give the public a certainty of 
fair-play. 




A sucrtero (ticket-seller) of the present day. 

The lottery is now drawn every month. The tickets are four reales 
each and the highest prize is four thousand piastres. 

FACTS WHICH SHOW IMPERFECT CIVILIZATION. 

The want of a good police in the capital, and other causes which 
space will not allow us to enumerate, give no little annoyance to 
the inhabitants. We will however only notice the following incon- 
veniences : 

1. The liberty left to the populace of carrying large burdens on 
the foot-pavement, and of thus pushing ladies and gentlemen into 
the gutters. 

2. The being run against by a man carrying candles, fish, or 



LIMA. 



217 



other similar articles, and having one's coat soiled so as defy all 
cleaning. 

3. Allowing asses laden with hay, bricks, or earth, to gallop 
along the streets, knocking down old people and children who are 
unable to get out of their way. 

4. The being stopped by the following courteous speech : Dispense 
Yd. Caballero — permitame Vd. su fiiego (Excuse me for taking the 
liberty of asking for a light) ; Deme Vd. su candelita (please to lend 
me your cigar), and to be detained some twenty minutes while the 
gentleman lights his cigar by yours. This annoyance ought not to 
be tolerated now lucifer matches are so common and so cheap. 

5. The never being able to meet any obliging person to point out 
a house or person you may want to find. 

6. The permitting shopkeepers to obstruct the foot-pavement with 
goods and packing-cases, so that passengers are obliged to walk 
along the carriage way. 

7. Making an appointment for one o'clock and having to wait 
till three. 

8. Stealing letters at the post-office. 

9. Attacking debtors in the public newspapers. 

10. Passing noches buems (happy nights) instead of huenas noches 
(quiet nights). 

11. Sending a man to prison because he is accused of some 
crime, and releasing him a year afterwards, declaring him in- 
nocent. 

12. Allowing servants at hotels or coffee-houses to keep cus- 
tomers waiting for a beef-steak or a cup of chocolate long enough 
to get through three chaplets and eight litanies. 

The inhabitants of the capital of Peru are exposed to all the above 
nuisances and many others we might mention. 

BEGGARS. 

The laws of Peru forbid begging and vagrancy. As a proof of the 
manner in which these laws are enforced, we may observe that 



218 



LIMA. 




White beggar. 




Neo-ro beggar. 



LIMA. 



219 



there are plenty of beggars, white, black, and yellow — indeed, of 
all the tints to be seen among the multicoloured inhabitants of 
Lima. 

THE ARCADES. 

Among the usages of Lima of which we regret the loss, must be 
counted that of walking under the Arcades on festival days. No long 
time since, the Sunday was divided as follows: mass at eight in the 
morning; at nine, breakfast; afterwards people dressed to receive 




Misturera (flower-girl) of the Arcades, 



or pay visits or to walk under the Arcades. They dined at three ; and 
then went either to the promenade of the Acho or of the Descalzos, 
according to the season, or else received visitors at home. After 
dark, they went to the theatre, the church, or balls. 

About one in the afternoon the Arcades became crowded with 



220 



LIMA. 



all the most beautiful and most fashionable sefioritas of Lima, who 
went thither to buy flowers and mistiiras (1). 

The Arcades were occupied by flower-girls and dealers in per- 
fumei-y and haberdashery. Here the newest fashions were displayed 
by both gentlemen and ladies. The lover was sure to find the object 
of his \ows, and, of course, could not do less than offer her a mis- 
tiira. The friend of a family, orhe who wished to be so, there found 
an opportunity of showing his generosity. A dashing caballero, as he 
passed by a flower-stall before which a lady friend was standing, 
would coolly throw down a gold onza, saying to the florista: Paguese 
Vd. (Pay yourself), and walk on without waiting for change. 

Among the gentlemen and ladies nothing was heard but such 
phrases as : Vea Vd. lo que lleva d gusto (Choose what you please) ; 
/ Gracias, caballero I (Thank you, sir); Sefiora, lenquese fijan esos 
lindos ojosl (Madam, by what are your beautiful eyes attracted?) 
and other gallant expressions which no one thinks of using now. 
As the place was frequented by all sorts of persons, the misturera 
was for some of them a convenient intermediary, and her stall the 
rendezvous of many a loving couple who did not enjoy complete 
liberty. 

(•1) A nosegay of small and very fragrant flowers contained in a paper enve- 
lope 



CONTENTS. 



Pages. 

PrSFACE. Ill 

PART I. 

FOUNDATION AND BESCRIPTION OF LIMA. 

Date of foundation i 

Form and Extent of Lima 1 

Geographical and Toi)ographical position 3 

Nature of the soil 4 

Seasons 4 

Winds . : 4 

Rain 4 

Earthquakes 5 

Streets 5 

Houses 7 

Town-gates 8 

Squares and public places 9 

Rivers 9 

Water 10 

Fountains 10 

Paving and Flagging H 

Lighting 12 

Population 12 

Public Buildings 13 



222 



CONTENTS. 



PART 11. 

PLACES OF WORSHIP. 

Pages. 



Cathedral. — Its foundation 17 

Parish-churches : The Sagrario and its chapel of ease. — Santa Ana and its 

chapel of ease. — San Sebastian. — San Marcelo and San Ldzaro . . . ' 22 
Churches of existing convents : La Merced. — San Agnstin. — San Francisco. 

— Los Descalzos. — Santo Domingo. — Recoleta Dominica. — Congrega- 
tion of St. Philip Neri. ■ — San Pedro. — Buena Muerte 24 

Churches of existing monasteries : Encarnacion. — Concepcion. — Trinidad. 

— Santa Clara. — Santa Catalina. — Descalzas. — Prado. — Carmen. 

— Trinitarias. — Nazarenas. — Capuchinas de Jesus-Maria. — Merce- 
darias. — Santa Rosa 31 

Churches of existing Beaterios : Beaterio de Amparadas. — Beaterio de Fi- 
terbo. — Beaterio del Patrocinio. — Beaterio de Copacabana 36 

Public chapels of regular monks : La Fera-Cruz. — La Soledad. — Las Reli- 
quias. — El Senor de Consuelo. — El Sehor de los Afligidos 37 

Other churches and chapels : Los Desamparados. — El Espiritu Santo. 

— La Caridad. — San Carlos. — Nuestra Senora del Rosario de abajo 
del Puenie. — Naranjos. — Santuario de Santa Rosa. — Las Cabezas. 

— San Lorenzo. — Copacabana del Cercado. — Cocharcas. — Ba- 
ratillo 37 

Houses of devotion for men 38 

Houses of devotion for Avomen _ 38 

Church of the Monks Hospitallers. 39 

Churches of 'Suppressed convents : Santo Tomds. — Guadalupe. — Belen. — 
Santa Liberata. — San Francisco de Paula T iejo. — San Francisco de 

Paula Nuevo. — San Pedro Nolasco. — Monserrat 39 

Hermandades (Brotherhoods) : The Congregation oi Nuestra Senora de la O. 

— The Archconfraternity of Nuestra Senora de la, Purisima. — Sociedad 
Fascongada de Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu. — Archconfraternity of 
Nuestra Senora del Rosario 40 



PART III. 

GOVERNMENT OFFICES AND PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS, 

Administration: Ministries of State. — Post-Office. Court of Accounts. — 
Mint. — General Treasury. — General Direction of Finance. — General Di- 
rection of Public Credit 43 

Tribunals : Justices of the Peace. — Tribunals of First Instance. — Superior 
Courts. — Supreme Court. — Special Tribunals 44 

Houses of Detention : Carceletas. — Police Prison. — Penitenciaria. ... 4B 

Establishments of Public Instruction : University of ^an Marcos. — Faculty 
of Medicine. — School of Medicine. — College of Advocates. — College of ' 
San Carlos. ~ College of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. — Ecclesiastical 
Seminary of Santo Toribio. — Naval Military Institute^ — Central Normal 
School. — School of Arts and Trades. — Public Library. — Public Museum. 



CONTENTS. • 223 

Pages. 

— Museum and Library of Artillery. — Cosmografiato. — Private Colleges 
and Schools 46 

Charitable Establishments : Sociedad de Beneficencia. — Hospital de San 
Andres. — Santa Ana. — Refugio. — San Bartolome. — College of Mid- • 
wifery and Lying-in Hospital. — Hospital for deserted infants. — Asylum for 
widows of decayed tradesmen. — Asylum of Jesus the Nazarene. ~ College 
Santa Te/'esa. — Madhouse. — General Cemetery. . So 

Other Charitable Establishments : Society of the Founders of the Indepen- 
dence. — Typographical Mutual Benefit Society. — Congregation of the Hand- 
maids of the Poor. — Spanish Charitable Society. — French Charitable So- 
ciety 08 

Military Dependencies : Mihtary Inspections. — St. Catherine's Fort. — Gun- 
powder Manufactoi'y 59 

PART IV. 

OTHER PUBLIC EDIFICES, PRIVATE ENTERPRISES, PfiODUCTIOSS, COMMERCE, 
A>"D INDUSTRY. 

General Slaughter-house bl 

Markets 61 

Railways 62 

Electric Telegraph » 62 

Hackney Carriages. 62 

Natural Productions of Lima 63 

Commerce and Manufactures 64 

PART V. 

PLACES OF PUBLIC AMUSEMENT, WORKS OF ART, AND WALKS. 

The Lima Theatre 69 

Plaza de Acho 70 

Paseo de los Descalzos 70 

Alameda Nueva .■ 71 

Alameda del Callao 72 

Equestrian statue of Bolivar 72 

Paseo de Aguas 73 

PARTVL 

OUTLINES AND SKETCHES. 

How many Colours ! 7o 

Moral, intellectual, and physical qualities of the Limanians 96 

National Costume 99 

Devo.tions. — Nuestro Amo 103 

Religious Festivals 107 

Visits and Parties 116 

Felicitations, Compliments of Condolence, etc 118 



224 



CONTENTS. 



Pages. 

Z?esa-maMos (Kissing of Hands) 120 

National Repasts . d21 

National Beverages . 127 

Mourning, Funerals, and Anniversarj Services , 129 

Journals 132 

Necrology . 132 

Comunicado 133 

Theatre 135 

Cock-fighting • • 133 

Bull-fights 137 

Noches buenas (Happy Nights) 146 

Amancaes. — National Dances 147 

Chorrilios 153 

Carnival ^ * 136 

Carnival Compadrg^ ". . . 160 

All Souls' Day 7 . . . , . , 161 

Physicians 163 

The Soldier — The Rabona 167 

Guardians of public order 174 

(the Water-carrier) . 177 

El Carretonero (the Carrier); 186 

El Velero (the Candle-seller) 189 

Biscoclieros (Piemen) 193 

£7 Panarfero (the Baker) 193 

La Lechera (theMilkwoman) 196 

Heladeros (Icemen), Tisaneras (Ptisan-sellers), Champuseras (Champuz-sel- 

lers), Chicheras (Chicha-sellers) 196 

Fruteros (Fruiterers) 200 

Mantequeros (Lardmen) - . 203 

Past and present Celebrities , 204 

The Schoolmaster 210 

jVaija un numerito! (Come, buy a number!) 214 

Facts which show imperfect civilization 216 

Beggars 217 

The Arcades 219 



Paris : Printed by A. Laine and J. Havard, 19, rue des Saints-Peres. 



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